Title: September Skywatch Highlights
Location: Hawaiian Islands
Date / Time: September 2008
Comments: Four of the five "naked-eye viewable" planets grace the sky after sunset in early September. Brilliant VENUS appears in the darkening twilight, hanging low in the western sky. Hard to miss our brightest planet, which can serve as a beacon to locate fainter Mercury & Mars, as long as you have a clear view toward the western horizon. Just to the left/south of blazing Venus look for MERCURY. In early September the two planets appear within 3 degrees of each other. The two move in step nightly as they appear to close in on MARS which shines much fainter. Mars starts off the month approx. 3 degrees above (east of) Mercury & Venus. On Sept.10th, 11th & 12th, look to the west from about 7:15-7:45PM, for a fascinating conjunction; a planetary "gathering" of Venus, Mars, & Mercury near the bright star Spica, in the constellation Virgo. Venus & Mars will appear very close to one another (a mere 0.3 degrees apart), while Mercury hangs just below & to the left/south of the pair. Toward the end of the month, Mercury & Mars will be lost in the evening twilight while Venus will climb higher in the southwest evening sky. Stunning JUPITER dominates the southern half of the sky all night, gleaming brightly in the south at dust. Jupiter appears among the stars of eastern Sagittarius, near the handle of the "teapot" asterism. SATURN reaches solar conjunction September 3rd, when it lies on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth, & thus not visible. It then passes into the morning sky, where it rises just before 5 AM, low in the east, by month's end. Scorpius, the giant scorpion is easily recognizable, as a "J" or fish-hook shape, (Ka Makau Nui O Maui), in the southern sky. Antares, the red supergiant star which is in the middle of the scorpion's curving body, is one of the largest stars in our stellar neighborhood. You'll find Scorpius & Antares just to the right /west of Jupiter. The Autumnal Equinox occurs on Sept. 22nd here in Hawaii. This is the moment when the Sun crosses the celestial equator, marking the change in seasons from summer to fall. On the day of the equinox, the Sun rises exactly in the East, & sets exactly in the West, & day & night are the same length. After the equinox, the Sun will appear lower & lower in the sky & the days will grow shorter. For further details & a September sky map, visit Bishop Museum Planetarium www.bishopmuseum.org/planetarium (bishopmuseum.org).

Maintained by Roz Reiner - Kauai, Hawaii

 

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