Skywatch: Jupiter, Venus are low on the horizon as September begins
Prominent planets frolic in the playground of September's evening sky, while Mercury dashes through the morning later in the month, all while other parts of the world get to enjoy two eclipses.
On the waning days of August and as the new month starts, Jupiter and Venus are low on the horizon in the western sky at dusk. On Sept. 2, the brand-new moon and Jupiter snuggle — both edging the horizon. The bright Venus is to the left of Jupiter and on Sept. 3, the new moon's sliver loiters to the left of Venus.
Saturn, Mars and the star Antares form a noteworthy triangle in the evening's southwestern sky. A month ago, the reddish Mars (zero magnitude) hung out on the triangle's western flank. Now, our neighboring Mars is the triangle's eastern point, on the left.
Bright Saturn, at zero magnitude, forms the top of the triangle and the scarlet star Antares maintains the bottom. The waxing, young moon approaches the Saturn-Mars-Antares cosmic clique on Sept. 7, and you can catch the first-quarter moon literally on top of Saturn the next evening, Sept. 8. Our lunar companion moves past Mars on the following night.
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If you’re walking the dog or jogging before sunrise in the last week of September, the morning sky features a visual treat: the bright, fleet Mercury in the east. The crescent, elderly moon lollygags under the nimble Mercury on Sept. 29.
Thursday features an annular eclipse — when observers on the centerline in Africa can enjoy a ring of fire surrounding the moon, according to Fred Espenak, noted eclipse expert at EclipseWise.com. The greatest part of this fiery phenomena happens just after 5 a.m. Eastern time, and it's not visible in North America, but you can catch the entire event on Slooh.com starting at 2:30 a.m. Eastern time. Much like a total eclipse, the moon slides between the Earth and the sun, but for an annular eclipse, the moon is slightly farther out in its orbit — so it does not fully block the sun.
Two weeks later, the moon moves through Earth's penumbral shadow, entertaining Earth's sky gazers with a harvest moon penumbral lunar eclipse on Sept. 16. Sadly, it won't be visible in North America either, but Europe, Africa and Asia should see it. Go online to Slooh.com, starting at 3 p.m. Eastern time. In this type of eclipse, the full moon appears with an slightly darker shadow.
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Bid adieu to summer, as the autumnal equinox on Sept. 22 officially starts fall at 10:21 a.m., according to the U.S. Naval Observatory. That’s when the sun appears to tiptoe across Earth’s equator toward the Southern Hemisphere. Providing equal time, more or less: For Washington on Sept. 25, the official duration of daylight is 12 hours, one minute — and on the next day, Sept. 26, it’s a mere 11 hours, 58 minutes, says the observatory.
Down-to-Earth Events:
Sept. 3: "Exploring the Sky" hosted by the National Park Service and the National Capital Astronomers. At Rock Creek Park, near the Nature Center in the field south of Military and Glover roads NW. 8 p.m. capitalastronomers.org.
Sept. 5: A talk on exoplanets by graduate student Mahmuda Afrin Badhan at the University of Maryland's Observatory, College Park. 9 p.m. See the night sky through telescopes afterward, weather permitting. astro.umd.edu/openhouse.
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Sept. 10: "Comets Observed By SOHO," a talk by astronomer Matthew Knight of the University of Maryland, at the regular meeting of the National Capital Astronomers. University of Maryland Observatory, College Park. 7:30 p.m. capitalastronomers.org.
Sept. 11: "The Upcoming Exploration of Europa," a talk by Marshall Eubanks of Asteroid Initiatives at the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club meeting, 163 Research Hall, George Mason University. 7 p.m. novac.com.
Sept. 17: Find out how the Mayans tracked days with amazing mathematical precision, at the Montgomery College planetarium, Takoma Park, 7 p.m. montgomerycollege.edu/Departments/planet.
Sept. 20: "The Era of Gravitational Waves," a talk by astronomer Cole Miller, at the University of Maryland's Observatory, College Park. 9 p.m. Heavenly views of the night sky afterward, weather permitting. astro.umd.edu/openhouse.
Sept. 23: "NASA's Kelly Twins Study: How Space Affects Human Physiology," a lecture by NASA's Craig Kundrot, the lead scientist for the study, hosted by the Philosophical Society of Washington, at the John Wesley Powell Auditorium, adjacent to the Cosmos Club, 2170 Florida Avenue NW. 8 p.m. www.philsoc.org.
Blaine Friedlander can be reached at PostSkyWatch@yahoo.com
Twitter: @BPFriedlander
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