Stargazing in September: a second supermoon and a partial lunar eclipse

The Northern Hemisphere is entering autumn, with the first of four consecutive supermoons in the books and even the tail end of the Aurigids Meteor Shower. September 1st marks the beginning of meteorological autumnand we are racing towards the autumnal equinox. The night sky will remain quite hot as temperatures slowly drop, thanks to the opportunity to see six planets before school or work, Venus next to a crescent moon, and even a partial lunar eclipse.

[Related: 7 US parks where you can get stunning night sky views.]

Early September – Six planets before sunrise

Towards the end of August, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune and Saturn become slightly more visible in the morning sky. These six planets will remain in that order from east to west until early September.

According to EarthSkythe best time to view these morning plants is just before sunrise. On September 1, a super-slim, old waning crescent moon should indicate where the planet Mercury appears in the sky. The ringed planet Saturn will be somewhat easy to spot in the western sky in the constellation Aquarius.

Neptune and Uranus may be a bit more challenging. Neptune is slightly closer to Saturn, in the Pisces circle above the western horizon. Uranus will be brighter than Neptune as a blue-green disk in the constellation Taurus. Binoculars, a telescope or a star chart will be useful in viewing Neptune and Uranus as well as other celestial bodies.

September 5 – Venus with a crescent moon

Our celestial neighbor Venus is the brightest planet in the night sky. In September, Venus sets about an hour after the sun. According to the Adler Planetarium in Chicagothis means that it will only be clearly visible when it is quite low in the western sky.

If you look low to the west on September 5, you might be able to spot it near a waxing crescent moon just after the sun sets.

September 17 – Supermoon with full harvest

The second of four supermoons in 2024 will rise just after sunset on September 17. Then, maximum illumination is reached at 10:34 PM EDT. Like one supermoonit will appear larger from Earth.

[Related: What is a blue moon and supermoon?]

According to the Farmers’ Almanacthe full moon that falls closest to the autumnal equinox is always called the Harvest Moon. The Harvest Moon also rises at about the same time, around sunset, for several consecutive evenings. This traditionally gives farmers several evenings of extra moonlight, allowing them to complete the harvest before autumn frosts arrive.

Additional names for the September full moon include the Leaves Turning Moon of Watebagaa-giizis in Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe), the autumn moon or Ukiuqsraq in the Inupiat language, and the little sister of the hot moon or Hayë: nah in Seneca.

September 17-18 – Partial lunar eclipse

As if a supermoon wasn’t enough, several places around the world are getting one partial lunar eclipse.

It will be visible over much of North America (except Alaska and Hawaii) and all of South America. It will be most visible on 10:44 PM EDT. All of Europe and most of Africa can also see the eclipse before moonset or during the early morning hours of the 18th.

For those inside Washington, Oregon and Northern Californiathe full moon will rise on September 17 during a partial solar eclipse.

The moon will pass close to the center of the Earth’s shadow, but not through it. Instead, it will rub against the edge of Earth’s dark umbra. The umbra has a clear, sharp edge and is considered the darkest part of the shadow. During this month’s solar eclipse, only about one-twelfth of the moon’s diameter will be within the umbra.

[Related: Hubble just captured a lunar eclipse for the first time ever.]

September 22 – Autumnal Equinox

Autumn officially arrives in the Northern Hemisphere 8:44 a.m. EDT on September 22. The autumnal equinox occurs at exactly the same time everywhere in the world. It is the second equinox of the year, six months after the spring equinox of March.

During an equinox the The sun passes over an imaginary extension of the Earth’s equator line, the celestial equator. The equinox occurs exactly when the center of the sun passes through this imaginary line. In the Northern Hemisphere, the autumnal equinox occurs when the sun crosses the equator from north to south. When the sun moves from south to north, it marks the vernal or vernal equinoxwhich happens in September in the Southern Hemisphere.

Since autumn, the days will become shorter than the nights the sun rises later and sets earlier. This continues until the winter solstice in December, when the days slowly start to get longer again.

The same sky-gazing rules that apply to virtually all space-observing activities are critical this month: Go to a dark place, away from the lights of a city or town, and allow the eyes to adjust to the darkness for about half an hour.