September is lined with many celestial events so be sure to soak up the waning long days and catch one of these events!
We start the month with a new Moon on September 2. I’ve said this many times before and I’ll say it again but this is the perfect night to catch a glimpse of your favourite constellations, stars, and planets as there is no light from the Moon to obstruct their visibility. As some of you may know, the Moon is quite bright in the night sky, making it harder to discern some of the stars and planets, but a Moonless night makes it perfect to see these bodies in the sky clearly!
On September 8, Saturn will be in opposition. As a reminder, when a celestial body is in opposition it means the Earth is directly between Saturn and the Sun. Normally, when a planet is in opposition, you can see it more clearly as all the light from the Sun is hitting the body.
Those who are moongazers are in for a treat as September 17-18 brings us a partial lunar eclipse which can be viewed in most parts of the Pacific. Lunar eclipses occur when Earth is between the Sun and the Moon and casts a shadow on the Moon. These eclipses can only be viewed during full Moons and are a sight that you do not want to miss!
This means that our next full Moon will be on September 17! This Moon is called the Harvest Moon as this is the time of the year when crops are harvested and prepared and the light from this Moon helps farmers work late into the night. Interestingly enough, this is also a Supermoon, which is essentially where the Moon appears to be bigger and brighter because of its position in its orbit around Earth. This makes it even better for farmers working at night as it provides more light and comfort!
On September 20, Neptune will be in opposition. This planet can be easily viewed with the naked eye but you can see it in better detail with specialized equipment like a telescope or binoculars.
Be sure to view one of these events and stay tuned for October’s celestial events!
Works Cited
Both a solar eclipse and a full moon will be in Pisces, which can add extra emotion and intensity to things. I'm definitely curious to see how everything plays out!