Title: September Skywatch Highlights
Location: Hawaiian Islands
Date / Time: September 2007
Comments: During the summer, the Sun's path appears high in the sky & the days are long. On the day of the equinox, the Sun rises exactly in the East, & sets exactly in the West, and day & night are the same length. Our autuminal equinox occurs on Sept. 22nd, at 11:51 p.m. HST, marking the change in seasons from summer to fall. After the equinox, the Sun will appear lower & lower in the sky & the days will grow shorter. As the sky darkens, look for the brightest "star" to the South. This is actually the PLANET JUPITER. Jupiter appears north, or just above Antares, the red supergiant star which is the "heart" of Scorpius, the Scorpion. Using Jupiter to locate Antares, look for the "J" or "fishhook" shape of the GIANT scorpion (aka: Ka Makau Nui o Maui: the giant fishhook of Maui). Notice how Jupiter, reflecting the light of our yellow Sun, gleams a lustrous golden color, in contract to the ruddy glow of red Antares. Jupiter, currently the brightest object in our night sky (except for the Moon), sets by midnight in early September & by 10:30 PM at the end of the month. The red beacon that you see in the East after midnight is MARS. Watch it ascend into the southeastern sky in the hours before dawn. By the 20th, Mars will be rising before midnight, just above the raised arm of Orion. Mars is getting brighter as Earth slowly catches up to the orbit of the Red Planet, which will reach opposition in December. In the morning, VENUS & SATURN pair up in the East, emerging into pre-dawn skies against the starry backdrop of Leo the Lion. Early risers can see VENUS, the brightest planet, rise before dawn all month; at 4:45 AM at the start of Sept. & by 3:30 AM at month's end. SATURN seems to follow Venus in its climb into the morning sky before dawn. It rises about 45 minutes before the Sun on the 1st, but a full 3 hours before the Sun by month's end. Watch throughout the month as the ringed planet closes the gap between itself & Venus. By the end of the second week of September, you might be lucky enough to spot MERCURY, low in the west at sunset. On the 12th & 13th, look for the little planet next to a thin crescent Moon. On the 21st, Mercury will appear close to Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo, low in the West 45 minutes after sunset. For further details and a September sky map, visit Bishop Museum Planetarium www.bishopmuseum.org/planetarium (bishopmuseum.org).

Maintained by Roz Reiner - Kauai, Hawaii

 

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