Saturn reaches opposition on September 8th this year, when it will be visible all night, rising soon after sunset in the eastern sky. The word opposition refers to Saturn being in a position opposite the Sun in the sky to us; we on Earth are “in between” the two as we look at the sky. Saturn is also at its brightest for all of 2024 at opposition, and lies some 800 million miles from Earth. Even so, Saturn is stunning when seen through a backyard telescope.
Although all of the “gas giant” planets have ring systems, only Saturn reveals its rings through backyard telescopes. Jupiter’s rings are thinner and less dense, and Neptune and Uranus are just too far away to see their rings from Earth. These planet’s rings were actually discovered by space probes out to them from the United States.
On the morning of September 17th look to the western sky an hour before sunrise when the Full Moon will be seen just below and right of Saturn.
Speaking of the Moon will be in partial eclipse on September 17/18, beginning at 8:41 pm EDT; shortly after moonrise that evening. At its peak, about 8% of the Moon will be inside Earth’s shadow, with the maximum occurring around 10:40 pm.
Venus will be visible in September for about an hour after sunset in the western sky. On September 4th the waxing crescent Moon will be just to the right of Venus; and on the very next evening the two will appear to have switched places. The Moon will below and left of Venus.
Jupiter is very bright and rising in the eastern sky around midnight and visible until dawn among the stars of Taurus the Bull. Best telescope view of the giant planet will be in the hour just before dawn when it will be at its highest in the sky. Mars is also between the horn stars of Taurus in the early morning eastern skies when September begins, and will appear to move into Gemini by month’s end.
Autumnal equinox; the first day of fall, occurs at 8:44 am EDT on September 22nd. This is when the Sun, moving along the ecliptic (the Sun’s apparent annual path against the sky), appears to slip below the celestial equator.
