What's Up?

This page shows a brief summary of what interesting things we can see in the sky this month.  

A more detailed version of 'What's Up' this month is available as a downloadable Word document right at the bottom of this page. 

• The New Season starts here - Autumn will be with us this month.
• Possibly the best time for observing, dark by nine yet still warm enough for comfort.
• In the East the Pleiades beckon and Orion peeks.
• Jupiter, Neptune and Juno are opposition. So best time to view them, especially Jupiter.
• Camping at Daisy Bank this month - Friday Sept 23rd, Autumn Camp (WOE26) - only 60 miles away and a nice location.

The Sun

The Sun is becoming more active; buy a decent solar filter and watch it.

The Moon

The phases of the Moon are as follows:

• First Quarter -3rd September
• Full Moon - 10th September
• Last Quarter - 17th September
• New Moon - 25th September

Darkest nights for observing will be from 22nd to 29th September.

Perigee on the 7th at 226,485 miles, Apogee on 19th at 251,379 miles.

Mercury is too close to the sun for observation from the UK. Inferior Conjunction is on 23rd September. 

Venus is also very close to the sun and very difficult to view from the UK.

Mars rises at 11:00pm in Taurus.

Jupiter is at opposition on 26th September and visible all night.

Saturn is also visible all night in Capricorn.

Uranus in Aries is visible all night.

Neptune is at opposition on 14th September so is also visible all night.

Pluto is still visible all evening in Sagittarius between Saturn and Jupiter.

Minor Planets

Asteroid Juno is at opposition.

Comets

No bright comets this month.

Meteors

Alpha Aurigids peak on the 1st (Thursday), zhr is 6 with some outbursts of 140.

Piscids peak is on the 8th September and again on the 21st.

Delta Auririds peak on the 29th with no moon to spoil them.

Deep Sky

• First look in the West first and catch these before they set: M3, M10, M12, M63 the sunflower galaxy, M51 the Whirlpool and M101 Pinwheel.
• In the South find M55, M8 the lagoon nebula, M20 the trifid nebula, M22, M23, M25, M17 the Omega nebula, M16 the Eagle nebula and M11 the Wild Duck cluster.
• In the North, circumpolar objects include M103 and M81 bodes galaxy. Try for Kemble's Cascade in Camelopardalis, or for binoculars the double cluster.
• Overhead look for M52, M39, M29, M27 the dumbbell nebula, M71, M56, and M57 the ring nebula.
• In the East objects are rising, such as M33, M34, M74, M45 the Pleiades, the Auriga triplet M36, 37 and 38. Later M1 the crab and M35 will rise.

Television

The Sky at night - Monday 12th September 22:00 on BBC4. Photographing the Universe