What’s Up in the Night Sky? September

Fred Barrett | Sep 03, 2014

It’s a GO! There will be a star party at the Maberly Fair grounds on Saturday, the 11th of October. The rain date will be Saturday, the 18th. Experienced amateur astronomers from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada will be coming up from the Kingston Chapter of the RASC and Ottawa RASC members will be there as well. They will be bringing their telescopes and will be more than happy to show planets and deep sky objects and answer any and every question imaginable about our Universe. Having your own equipment is not necessary. If you do have your own telescope and /or binoculars, bring them along and we’ll help you set them up and use them properly. Everyone who is curious and has an interest in astronomy is more than welcome. Come and enjoy our wonderful dark skies!

The Maberly Agricultural Society fairgrounds are at the intersection of Highway 7 and Regional Road 36 (the Bolingbroke Road). Watch for more details in next month’s column!

There were several winners from last month’s quiz and I gave out 6 or 7 planispheres to those who answered. The word Mare comes from the Latin for ‘Sea’. Ancient astronomers thought that the dark areas on the moon looked like oceans or seas. Thus Mare Tranquillitatis translates to the Sea of Tranquility. This month’s quiz question is: In what constellation and where in the sky can you find the star Antares an hour or two after sunset? Best written and detailed description from the first several responders will win them a planisphere and a few other astronomy goodies. Be careful. It’s a tricky question!

I saw quite a few Perseid meteors leading up to its peak in mid-August and for quite a few days after. It was well worth the effort.

On the 5th this month Venus is one degree to the upper left of Regulus low in the East just before sunrise. Use binoculars for a good view. Venus continues to drop below Regulus as the week progresses. At dusk about an hour after sunset, look to the southwest about 10 degrees above the horizon for the line formed by Antares, Mars and Saturn.

The Full Harvest Moon occurs on the 8th and I figure I needn’t describe why it’s called the Harvest Moon. Farmers would use its light to take in the crops well after the Sun set.

On the 20th the crescent Moon is 6 degrees to the right and below Jupiter in the east just about an hour before sunrise. The Sickle of Leo is to the left and below them both.

The Autumnal Equinox happens at 10:29 pm EDT (Eastern daylight time).

From the 23rd and for the following 2 weeks, the Zodiacal light can be made out in the east about 2 to 3 hours before sunrise.

The new Moon can be seen (whoops! – not seen) on the 24th. Try and see if you can find the very thin crescent of the old Moon just before sunrise the day before and look for the very thin crescent of the new Moon the night after, on the 25th.

On the 27th and 28th, the star Antares and Mars are 3 degrees apart. On the 28th Antares, Mars and the Moon form a bent line in the southwest an hour after sunset. On the 29th, the Moon is 5 degrees above Mars.

This month on the 6th, the sun rises at 06:28 and sets at 19:01 (7:01 pm EDT). On the 27th, the sun rises at 06:54 and sets at 18:48 (6:48 pm EDT). Can winter be far behind?

You may contact Fred Garrett through this paper or email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Beginner’s Observer’s Guide by Leo Enright is available at the Sharbot Lake Pharmacy or by contacting the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada www.rasc.ca/publications, subscriptions for our very own excellent Canadian astronomy magazine, Sky News, are also available from RASC..