Page 108 - BBC Sky at Night - September 2017 UK

SEPTEMBER THE SKY GUIDE

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IN SEPTEMBER

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WHEN TO USE THIS CHART `
#"6(3"$7"$$%$$"87" The chart accurately matches the sky on the dates and times TRIANGULUM
#&"6(3"$7"'(%$$"87 shown. The sky is different at other times as stars crossing it set
four minutes earlier each night. We’ve drawn the chart for _
($"6(3"$7"''%$$"87 latitude –35° south. ARIES _

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The crescent Moon next to a bright Aquarius, the Water Bearer, is one of
planet is always an attractive sight. the oldest constellations. From Down a
This month sees close conjunctions with Under it is below bright Fomalhaut (Alpha Ecliptic
both Venus and Jupiter. On the 18th (_) Piscis Austrini) in the northern evening
NORTHEAST
radiant Venus is only 2° from the 27-day- sky in September. Its mythology shows a 10th Uranus
old Moon in the dawn sky. Look low in the human figure pouring water from a jar. Its
east-northeast 50 minutes before sunrise many faint stars make it virtually invisible _
(around 05:00 EST). The Jovian meeting under suburban skies, its two ‘stand outs’ CETUS
has to wait until after New Moon. On the both being mag. +2.9: Sadalmelik (Alpha (_) TAURUS _ a
22nd the two-day-old Moon is 4° to the Aquarii) and Sadalsuud (Beta (`) Aquarii). Menkar b
lower right of Jupiter, close to the western These Arabic names are associated with Mira
horizon one hour after sunset. luck when wishing for good rainfall.

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The early evening is the last chance well placed to observe, transiting around
to glimpse Jupiter before it is lost in 23:00 EST and 02:00 EST respectively mid b
the western twilight. After this, try looking month. Brilliant Venus is now only visible
high in the northwest for Saturn. It is soon low in the eastern dawn. Mars rises slowly
a
an evening-only planet, setting by midnight out of the Sun’s glow, and at the close of
at month’s end. Neptune and Uranus are September is only 3° from Venus.
_
'((3!6.<"2%-(&76 ERIDANUS
In Aquila, close to its border with you’ll find the globular cluster NGC 6760
Serpens, is open cluster NGC 6755 (RA 19h 11.2m, dec. +1° 02’; pictured).
CHART: PETE LAWRENCE, IMAGE: MICHAEL BREITE / STEFAN HEUTZ/ WOLFGANG RIES/CCDGUIDE.COM
EAST
(RA 19h 07.8m, dec. +4° 16’). It has an This is a challenge: being quite small

unusual appearance, as it heavily (2 arcminutes in diameter) it is easy to LEPUS b
obscured by gas and dust. The cluster miss. The globular has a broad core only
_
shows the stars in clumps with a dark slightly brighter than its thin halo. It
`

lane in its northern half. The takes serious aperture to resolve a _
brightest stars are 10th- into individual stars. Even CAELUM
magnitude and the cluster 12-inch instruments will not
is 14 arcminutes across. succeed, showing instead _
some mottling in what COLUMBA
`
Moving 3.3° is otherwise a round,
south-southeast mag. +8.8 fuzzy patch.

&+$57".(< SOUTHEAST
PUPPIS
STAR
ASTEROID
GALAXY DIFFUSE BRIGHTNESS:
NEBULOSITY TRACK MAG. 0
OPEN CLUSTER & BRIGHTER
DOUBLE STAR METEOR MAG. +1
GLOBULAR RADIANT
CLUSTER VARIABLE STAR MAG. +2
QUASAR MAG. +3
PLANETARY MAG. +4
NEBULA COMET TRACK PLANET & FAINTER

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017