I have to be honest with you. I’m not a big fan of summer stargazing. For one thing it’s not really dark enough until well after 10 p.m. most of the summer, making it tough on early risers like myself.
Another problem is that because of humidity, the skies naturally tend to be a bit on the hazy side and added moisture in the air also intensifies the effects of light pollution.
That’s one of the reasons I love September stargazing. All those nighttime nuisances start going away, for the most part. I would much rather wear a jacket instead of bug dope when I’m looking out into our universe, and I love what I’m seeing in the sky this time of year.
Start out your September stargazing with the very bright planet Venus, blazing away in the low western sky toward the end of twilight. The dimmer planet Mercury joins Venus during the middle of the month for your viewing pleasure.
The summer constellations still dominate much of sky with the Summer Triangle dazzling bright overhead as soon as evening twilight ends.
Just find the three brightest stars you can see at the top of the celestial dome and that’s it. It’s one of the best tools for helping you navigate that part of the sky, because the three stars you see, Vega, Altair and Deneb, are all the brightest stars in their respective constellations; Lyra, Aquila and Cygnus (otherwise known as the Northern Cross).
From those three constellations you can branch out with your eyes to find other surrounding fainter constellations like the delightful Delphinius the Dolphin.
In the low southern sky the bright planet Jupiter still dominates, and just to right of it in the low southwestern sky are two of my favorite star pictures; Sagittarius and Scorpius. As featured in Starwatch a couple of weeks ago, Sagittarius is also known as the Little Teapot because that’s what it actually looks like.
In the northern heavens the Big Dipper is hanging by its handle in the northwest sky. The Big Dipper isn’t actually a constellation, but outlines the derriere and tail of Ursa Major, the Great Bear of the night sky. Using the star map and a little squinting, you can see the rest of the big bear’s torso, head and at least two of his curved legs.
As you continue to face north you’ll see the fainter Little Dipper is standing on its handle. The Little Dipper is also known as Ursa Minor, the Little Bear. Polaris (the North Star) is at the end of the junior bear’s tail. Every single celestial object visible in the sky appears to circle around Polaris, since it’s shining directly above the Earth’s terrestrial North Pole.
Facing the east, look just below the bright W that outlines Cassiopeia and you’ll see the first of the autumn constellations, Pegasus. Just look for the “Great Square,” or the diamond of four brighter stars rising in the east that outline the torso of the flying horse.
If you have a pair of binoculars or a small telescope, scan to the upper left of the great square of Pegasus and see if you can find what looks likes an ovalish fuzz ball. That patch of fuzz is actually the giant Andromeda Galaxy, the closest neighbor of our own Milky Way Galaxy. Andromeda is well more than 2 million light-years away.
Mike Lynch is an amateur astronomer and professional broadcast meteorologist for WCCO Radio in Minneapolis and author of the book, “Washington Starwatch,” available at bookstores and at his Web site www.lynchandthestars.com
The Everett Astronomical Society welcomes new members and puts on public star parties. The Web site is members.tripod.com/everett_astronomy.
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