Welcome to SkyEye, your guide to this month's celestial events. All times and dates are given in Universal Time (UT). Nightly darkness estimates are calculated for Greenwich, London (51.5° N, 0° W).

Calendar of Events - September 2005

Date Event
1 Thu Dark skies assist in the viewing of the Alpha Aurigids meteor shower.
Moon at apogee
Uranus at opposition
2 Fri
3 Sat New Moon
4 Sun
5 Mon
6 Tue
7 Wed The Moon occults both the first-magnitude star Spica and the planet Venus during daylight hours.
8 Thu
9 Fri The Delta Aurigids meteor shower is also favoured with mostly dark skies.
10 Sat The Moon occults the first-magnitude star Antares which is visible from the south Atlantic from about 20 UT.
11 Sun First Quarter Moon
12 Mon
13 Tue
14 Wed
15 Thu
16 Fri Moon at perigee
17 Sat
18 Sun Full Moon
Mercury at superior conjunction
19 Mon
20 Tue
21 Wed
22 Thu Equinox on Earth: Autumn begins in the northern hemisphere and spring begins in the southern hemisphere.
23 Fri
24 Sat
25 Sun Last Quarter Moon
26 Mon
27 Tue
28 Wed Moon at apogee
29 Thu
30 Fri

The Solar System

The word planet is derived from the Greek word for "wanderer." Unlike the background stars, planets seem to move around the sky, keeping mostly to a narrow track called the ecliptic, the path of the Sun across the stars.

Sun
Location: Leo -> Virgo
This month is the best time for observing the Sun's northern polar region.
Mercury
Location: Leo -> Virgo
Observers in the southern hemisphere will have little luck seeing Mercury this month but the planet will be on show just before sunrise during the first few days of September for those in the north. At superior conjunction on 18 September, the closest planet to the Sun will reappear next month in the west at sunset.
Venus
Location: Virgo -> Libra
The "evening star" continues to climb high in the west after sunset for southern hemisphere viewers but remains stubbornly low for those looking for it from the northern hemisphere.
Mars
Location: Aries
The red planet rises by mid-evening.
Jupiter
Location: Virgo
Because Jupiter is approaching conjunction next month, it is getting ever closer to the Sun in the sky and thus, is setting earlier and earlier.
Saturn
Location: Cancer
Look for the ringed planet as it rises an hour or two after midnight.
Uranus
Location: Aquarius
Uranus is visible all night, reaching opposition on the first day of the month.
Neptune
Location: Capricornus
Because it was at opposition last month, this gas giant is visible (through a small telescope) for most of the night.
Pluto
Location: Serpens (Cauda)
With a brightness of around fourteenth magnitude, the smallest planet in the solar system can be seen only through a good-sized telescope. Look for Pluto in the evening as it sets before midnight.

The Celestial Sphere

Constellations are patterns of stars in the sky. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) recognises 88 different constellations. The brightest stars as seen from the Earth are easy to spot but do you know their proper names? With a set of binoculars you can look for fainter objects such as nebulae and galaxies or some of the closest stars to the Sun.

Descriptions of the sky for observers in both the northern and southern hemispheres are available for the following times this month. Subtract one hour from your local time if summer (daylight savings) time is in effect.

Local Time Northern Hemisphere Southern Hemisphere
1730 hours (1830 hours summer time) 45° N 30° S
1930 hours (2030 hours summer time) 45° N 30° S
2130 hours (2230 hours summer time) 45° N 30° S
2330 hours (0030 hours summer time) 45° N 30° S
0130 hours (0230 hours summer time) 45° N 30° S
0330 hours (0430 hours summer time) 45° N 30° S
0530 hours (0630 hours summer time) 45° N 30° S

For More Information...

Credits

Much of this information can be found in this month's issue of your favourite amateur astronomy magazine available in your local bookshop. Another excellent source is the current edition of the Astronomical Calendar by Guy Ottewell and published by the Universal Workshop at Furman University.

The image of the Sun in the SkyEye banner is courtesy of the SOHO/EIT consortium. The composite image from May 1998 combines EIT images from three wavelengths (171Å, 195Å and 284Å) into one that reveals solar features unique to each wavelength. SOHO is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA.

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