There’s plenty to enjoy during the longer, cooler nights of late summer and early fall.
- Venus, the “evening star,” creeps past two bright companions, the star Spica and the planet Saturn.
- The Milky Way arches high overhead during the evening, putting on a grand display from sites with dark skies.
- At the same time, the Big Dipper is at its most dipper-like, in the northwest, with its bowl to the lower right of the handle.
This Week's Stargazing Tips
September 19:
- Cassiopeia, legendary queen of Ethiopia, is immortalized in the heavens with five bright stars that form a letter W or M. Cassiopeia is in the northeast on September evenings.
September 20:
- The Big Dipper stands in the northwest this evening. The bowl is parallel to the horizon and the handle extends skyward. The dipper is part of Ursa Major, the big bear. The bowl represents the bear’s hindquarters, while the handle is its tail.
- To the people of Polynesia, the stars of Cassiopeia and Andromeda represented a dolphin, called Kwu. Cassiopeia formed its tail, while the brightest stars of Andromeda formed its fins. Andromeda's fainter stars outlined the dolphin’s body.
September 22:
- Autumn Today is the autumnal equinox, which marks the start of autumn in the northern hemisphere and spring in the southern hemisphere. The exact moment of the equinox is 3:44 p.m. CDT, when the Sun crosses the equator from north to south.
- The constellation Vulpecula, the fox, stands high in the south at nightfall. It is in the middle of the Summer Triangle, which is defined by the stars Vega, Deneb, and Altair. The fox is so faint that you need dark skies to see it.
September 24:
- Dumbbell Nebula Vulpecula, the fox, is high in the sky at nightfall. It contains the Dumbbell Nebula, which is about halfway between Deneb and Altair, two stars of the Summer Triangle. The nebula represents the final gasp of a dying star.
September 25:
- Lacerta, the lizard, scurries high overhead on September evenings. It is between the outstretched wings of Cygnus, the swan, and W-shaped Cassiopeia. You need dark skies and a starchart to help you find this squiggle of five stars.
LUNAR PHASES
New - Sept. 5, 6:36 am
First - Sept. 12, 12:08 pm
Full - Sept. 19, 6:13 am
Last - Sept. 26, 10:55 pm
