What to Look for This Month in the Night Skies

Your September astronomy calendar is here, featuring an alignment of six planets, a supermoon eclipse, and more. Here is a look at what you should keep an eye on during the month of September in the night skies.

Alignment of Six Planets - First Two Weeks of September

It is time to break out the telescope if you want to catch the rare alignment of six planets. You will also need to wake up early in order to catch Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn shining close together. The six planets will appear in a line from east to west at about 30 minutes before the sun comes up in your area. Because Neptune and Uranus are not visible to the naked eye, you will need a telescope to see the celestial wonder in its totality.

The good news is that both of these planets will appear close to some of the brighter planets, making them easier to spot. The best strategy to find all six planets is to first locate Jupiter. This planet will shine next to Uranus high in the southern portion of the sky. Neptune can be found by looking to the left of Saturn.

While Mercury will shine bright enough to locate without the use of a telescope, its location low in the eastern sky makes it more challenging to find as it is obscured by the morning light when the sun rises.

Avid stargazers may remember a similar event taking place at the end of May. However, during this event, Jupiter, Mercury, and Uranus were spinning too close to the sun to be able to find. This meant that onlookers were only able to find Neptune, Mars, and Saturn.

The alignment of the six planets will last for two weeks, giving people plenty of time to find the right viewing conditions. The best bet is to check the hourly forecast and pick a morning with clear skies in order to maximize the chances of finding all six planets in the pre-dawn skies.

Saturn Opposition - September 8