If you’re reading this on a smartphone or tablet, take it outside with you (don’t forget to put it on red light mode<\/a> to preserve your dark-adapted vision) and keep turning to your left, from your starting point facing northwest, hopping from star to star as you read along.<\/p> You\u2019ll see the seasons\u2019 stars change before your eyes.<\/p> This constellations<\/a> guide is accurate for the UK at about 22:00 BST (21:00 UT) at the start of September, and 20:00 BST (19:00 UT) by the month\u2019s end. Enjoy the tour!<\/p> More beginners’ astronomy:<\/strong><\/em><\/p> We\u2019ll start by facing the northwest and locating our first target, the Plough<\/a>. This month, the Plough skirts just above the horizon, near the bottom of the path it appears to trace around Polaris (the North Star<\/a>). As time goes on, we can watch it turn and gradually swing upwards and towards the east.<\/p> Turning towards our left, we\u2019ll see some of the last of spring\u2019s stars. Crossing the dim stars of Bo\u00f6tes<\/a>, the Herdsman, we reach my favourite small constellation: the C-shaped Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown.<\/p> Directly above Alphecca, this constellation\u2019s brightest star, are the dim stars of Hercules. I often find these tricky, but if you are scanning the skies above Alphecca with a pair of binoculars or a small telescope, you may be able to find the hundreds of thousands of suns of the Great Globular Cluster, M13, about halfway along the line upwards to Vega<\/a>.<\/p> Now keep turning towards the left and look almost directly overhead. High towards the southwest in Lyra is the star Vega. Then, very high and nearly due south, you\u2019ll find Deneb<\/a> in Cygnus and Altair<\/a> below, in Aquila.<\/p> It was only a few weeks ago when these, the bright stars of the Summer Triangle<\/a>, soared high overhead. Now they\u2019re already setting when darkness comes.<\/p> Altair and Vega are relatively close to us \u2013 only about 16 and 20 lightyears away \u2013 but Deneb is about 2,600 lightyears away, so it looks mellower and more subdued than the other two.<\/p> From the Summer Triangle, look for the small constellation of Delphinus<\/a> nearby. Its stars almost look like a small dolphin, with a diamond-shaped head and a long tail, swimming upstream along the Milky Way, which runs through this stretch of sky.<\/p> As we cross into the southeast, we\u2019re in the rising part of the sky, where the newcomers are. Here, we\u2019ll find the Great Square of Pegasus. Its eastern-most star is Alpheratz, which is the brightest star in the constellation of Andromeda, the mythological princess.<\/p> Andromeda\u2019s main stars lie more or less parallel to the horizon, like they\u2019re underlining the upper sky. Two star hops east (toward the left) of Alpheratz is Mirach (not to be confused with the Plough\u2019s Merak).<\/p> If you have a pair of binoculars, aim them about 7\u02da \u2013 a bit less than a fist at arm\u2019s length \u2013 above Mirach. Hiding 2.5 million lightyears away in that seemingly empty patch is the Andromeda Galaxy, M31. Read our guide on how to see the Andromeda Galaxy<\/a>.<\/p> Under city and suburban skies, it looks like a thumbprint on the sky and might surprise you the first time you spot it. Once you see it, though, you\u2019ll go back again and again.<\/p> As we turn towards the northeast, let\u2019s follow the line of Andromeda\u2019s stars downwards and to the left, to Perseus and its brightest star Mirfak. As we continue down that line towards the horizon we can look for the gorgeous yellow star Capella (the brightest in the constellation of Auriga) and the Pleiades<\/a> Cluster, M45, just a short way above the horizon as September progresses.<\/p> It won\u2019t be long before they\u2019re high above us on another freezing January night, along with the rest of the bright winter lights, but September gives us a sneak preview as they make their way higher into the nights.<\/p> From here it\u2019s just a short turn back to where we started, the Plough. September is a time of change in the weather and in the skies. We hope you enjoyed this hop around the stars and you\u2019ll be inspired to take a look at these sights this month.<\/p> What are your favourite things to see in the autumn night sky? Let us know via email<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a> or Instagram<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>Northwest and west<\/h2>
Southwest and south<\/strong><\/h2>
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Southeast and east<\/strong><\/h2>
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North and northeast<\/strong><\/h2>
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