SkyEye

The Calendar

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. Dwarf planets and small solar-system bodies, including comets, are not so constrained, often moving far above or below the ecliptic.

Sun Leo → Virgo

The solar north pole is most inclined toward the Earth early this month.

Mercury Virgo

This elusive planet is very low in the west after sunset as seen from northern latitudes and vanishes into the solar glare by mid-month. It rises much higher early in the month for southern observers but is lost to view late in September as Mercury reaches inferior conjunction on the last day of the month.

Venus Cancer → Leo

After a bright spectacle in July with gas giant Jupiter, Earth's twin again reaches a brilliant −4.5. The morning star rises high in the east for northern viewers and climbs, albeit more slowly, from observers in the southern hemisphere.

Mars Cancer → Leo

The red planet is a morning sky object and can be found near the first magnitude star Regulus on 25 September.

4 Vesta Cetus

This object is the only member of the asteroid belt that can be seen by the naked eye. It reaches magnitude +6.2 at opposition on 28 September.

Jupiter Leo

This is another morning sky object, rising after Venus and Mars but closing in on them as the month progresses.

Saturn Libra

The ringed planet is setting every earlier in the evening. Look for it in the southwest at sunset.

Uranus Pisces

Uranus rises in mid-evening and is getting ever brighter as it approaches opposition next month. It is occulted by the Moon on 1 September and 29 September.

Neptune Aquarius

A small telescope is necessary to view the most distant planet in the solar system. Opposition is on the first day of the month so this blue ice giant is aloft most of the night.