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.Events .Moon .Planets .Minor Planets, NEOs .Comets .Shooting Stars .Occultations .Sun .check more! (occultations observers are advised to check in 'Events', and to turn to such dedicated sites like the I.O.T.A). don't forget to check the weather! For the US: the NOAA . color codes: Wwd worldwide, UsA USA-Americas, EuA Europe-Africa, AsP Asia-Pacific, Chk Check for Your Zone. check the site's concept and the instructions of use
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color codes: Wwd worldwide, UsA USA-Americas, EuA Europe-Africa, AsP Asia-Pacific, Chk Check for Your Zone. check the site's concept and the instructions of use
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Events Home Page.Events Seen All Month Long .Ephemerides Proper
(data from the former yearly ephemerides generator at Fred Espenak's NASA's eclipse website; miscellaneous data with the 'Astronomical Phenomena for The Year 2017,' a joint work by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office and the U.S. Naval Observatory; to be found at the latter's site; all time UT except otherwise stated)
Wwd A fine series of planets is interestingly seen from the southeast to the southwest by twilight in the northern hemisphere as constellation Sagittarius and Scorpius are adding below that arc. The show is also of avail at the Tropics, much high as the Pointers are also seen far below. In the southern hemisphere, the show is about crossing the zenith as Sagittarius and Scorpius are also in the field. In that order, you may spot Mars, Saturn, Jupiter and Venus. And Pluto is also there -- which is only a intellectual hint as Pluto is difficult even with large telescopes! Moon will also come to add. Fine visual and photographic opportunities!
 | A fine arc of planets interestingly seen by twilight! picture site 'Amateur Astronomy' based upon Stellarium |
Wwd Arcturus is a fine evening star worldwide except at the mid-soutern latitudes!
1 (1) Wwd Alpha Aurigids shooting stars are usually active Aug. 25-Sept. 5-8 with their peak usually on Sep. 1 more at the date of the peak
3 Wwd There is a occultation of Aldebaran, the bright star to constellation Taurus, the Bull today by Moon! check more at Occultations; check more too at such sites like "The International Occultation Timing Association" (I.O.T.A.)
5 Wwd Moon reaches a northernmost declination at 06:56 UT
6 Wwd Moon is at a ascending node at 22:42 UT
8 Wwd Moon is at its perigee at 01:21 UT (distances non available)
17 Wwd First quartered Moon, at all latitudes, is close to Saturn in twilight! Fine!
 | First quartered Moon close to Saturn! picture site 'Amateur Astronomy' based upon Stellarium |
18 Wwd Moon reaches a southernmost declination at 09:35 UT
19 UsA Waxing gibbous Moon, at all latitudes, is close to Mars tonight and in twilight too!
 | Waxing gibbous Moon close to Mars as soon as in twilight! picture site 'Amateur Astronomy' based upon Stellarium |
20 Wwd Moon is at its apogee at 00:54 UT (distances non available) as it is also at a descending node, at 09:30 UT
23 Wwd It is the autumnal equinox today, by 01:54. Nighttime equal daytime worldwide! check more details about Earth's seasons with our tutorial Seasons
Occultations observers are advised to turn to such dedicated sites like the I.O.T.A as they may also check below at our Occultation section
Moon Home PageLast Quarter is on September 3rd, at 02:37 UT
New Moon is on September 9th, at 18:01 UT
First Quarter is on September 16th, at 23:15 UT
Full Moon is on September 25th, at 02:53 UT
(source: ephemeris generator at Fred Espenak's NASA's eclipse website)
Planets Home PageMercury is reaching to a superior conjunction on September 21st, by 01:47 UT. Mercury will mostly tend to the horizon like a morning star by early September and then remain invisible since until month's end!
Venus now is very low in the northern hemisphere like a evening star and tending to the horizon. It keeps a fine evening star at the Tropics or the southern hemisphere
Mars keeps high now in the northern hemisphere, standing by South at 10:30 p.m. local time as by that same time at the Tropics, Mars is much high before southwest, or very high, West, in the southern hemisphere. A Mars Observation Campaign is unfolding 2018-2019 as it constitutes a remarkable, perihelic opposition, with Mars nearest to Earth at the same time it is nearest to the Sun on its orbit! Mars will reach a 24.2" of apparent diameter at its best as the observation campaign will span from when the Red Planet is reaching, then leaving 6" of apparent diameter! Don't miss those occasions of observing Mars! check more at our Mars Observation Campaign 2018-2019 page
Jupiter is a fine evening star southwest in the northern hemisphere, a high one at the Tropics or the southern hemisphere
 | Jupiter! picture site 'Amateur Astronomy' based upon Celestia |
Saturn is well seen into the night in the northern hemisphere as it is higher still at the Tropics or the southern hemisphere. A ring maximum aperture had been reached in 2017
 | Saturn! picture site 'Amateur Astronomy' based upon Celestia |
Uranus is closing a opposition, which will occur next October. Uranus has now risen, East, since a while in the northern hemisphere by 10:30 p.m. local time as it is already high by that same time, seemingly well before East, at the Tropics as the situation in the southern hemisphere is similar to the northern one as the faraway world lies between northeast and East
 | Uranus closing to its best! picture site 'Amateur Astronomy' based upon Celestia |
Neptune Faraway World At its Best Now! is now at its year's best! Neptune by 10:30 p.m. local time is high southeast in the northern hemisphere, much high East at the Tropics, or much high northeast in the southern hemisphere
 | Neptune to its year's best! picture site 'Amateur Astronomy' based upon Celestia |
Pluto keeps high, between South and southwest in the northern hemisphere as it is much high, southwest at the Tropics or West and much high too in the southern hemisphere. Pluto in 2018 is reaching a rare 'special' opposition as the latter will occur because the planet will reach its orbit's line of node. (according to the International Astronomical Union (IAU) since 2006, Pluto is not considered a planet anymore, but categorized like a dwarf planet instead along with Ceres, Eris, Makemake, and Haumea, and the prototype of a new category of 'trans-Neptunian', 'Pluto-class' objects)
Minor Planets, NEOs Home Page
Minor PlanetsMinor planets are those biggest asteroids in the Asteroid Belt which may be easily observed by amateurs from the Earth, namely Ceres, Pallas, Juno, and Vesta (due to the new categorization by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) by 2006, Ceres belongs to the 5 dwarf planets in the solar system with Pluto, Eris, Makemake, and Haumea). check data and charts at our section Minor Planets on the yearly Calendar page as our tutorial 'Asteroids and Asteroid Hunting' is of help too. Any remarkable event linked to a minor planet may have a notice here below
Nearest NEOsSome small asteroids dubbed Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) are regularly making close approaches at Earth. People interested in such close approaches may obtain recent and upcoming data at NASA site Near-Earth Object Program (their section "Close Approaches"). Date, miss distance in AU or Lunar Distance (LD), estimated diameter, and relative velocity are available. For further observational purposes, check at the Near-Earth Object Program ephemeris Generator. For more about NEOs see tutorial "
Comets Home PageOnce every time, the solar system treats us with a remarkable comet, a eery view spanning up to thirty degrees of sky! Most of the time however comets are the domain of dedicated observers as mostly weak and, at the most, hovering at the limit of the naked-eye visibility. A good site to get information about current such comets is the British Astronomical Association Comet Section page or also the Weekly Information about Bright Comets page (which often points to comets close to the visual magnitude). Our 'Comets and Comet Hunting' tutorial will also be helpful. Remarkable comets otherwise usually will be presented below!
Shooting Stars Home Page->note: shooting stars afficionados will be aware of checking Moon at the dates of the showers
for more about the meteor showers of this month, for possible other meteor showers for this month, and for more about shooting stars, generally, see our tutorial "Shooting Stars"
Occultations Home PageEach month, Moon occults some relatively bright stars, that is the Moon, beginning either with its bright or its dark visible face, is passing in front of a star. This is called an occultation. The Pleiades, on the other hand, due to their position near the eclipic, are often occulted by Moon too. Some planets, at last, along the year, may be occulted by Moon or they themselves, or their satellites, may be seen too occulting a star. The asteroids too may occult stars. Yearly lists of such phenomenons are to be found at Sky & Telescope/SkyTonight.com, either in their newsstand issues or at their site, as a list of occultations of most brilliant stars, the planets and the Pleiades are available at the I.O.T.A site (I.O.T.A. stands for "The International Occultation Timing Association"). Most notable occultations are signaled below
Aldebaran back, the bright star to constellation Taurus, the Bull is occulted by Moon on Sep. 3rd, 2018 by 02:00 UT! The show is available for Greenland, and northernmost Canada. check more at such sites like "The International Occultation Timing Association" (I.O.T.A.)
check on this site for more about occultations, theoretically
Sun Home Page| CAUTION! OBSERVING THE SUN IS DANGEROUS AND REQUIRES DEDICATED SAFE TECHNIQUES! |
