September 2023 Skywatching begins the night after the August 31st Supermoon. The Summer Triangle of the stars Deneb, Vega, and Altair shines brightly in the night sky.
Asterisms such as the Summer Triangle are small star patterns that humans have watched for millenium. These small star patterns have been notice by peoples in various places in various times.
An easy asterism to see with the naked eye is the Summer Triangle.
Super Blue Moon of August 30-31, 2023
With the Naked Eye: Find the Summer Triangle
This is a good video explaining how to locate the Summer Triangle in the night sky. The YouTube video does contain ads. The Summer Triangle can be found even in the light polluted skies of the cities and suburbs.
September 2023 Skywatching Highlights
- the Summer Triangle is still visible
- A Super Blue Moon shines August 30-31
- Saturn is visible all night.
- Venus is visible in the morning.
- Mercury will return to the night sky late in September
- The Moon will be between the Pleiades and Jupiter on September 5th.
September Moons
6th – Last Quarter Flying Up Moon (bird migrations begin) or Black Cherries Moon
14th – New Harvest Moon (the garden harvest for winter’s stored food is in full swing)
22nd – First Quarter Harvest Moon
29th – Full Harvest Moon
NASA’s Daily Moon Guide (on nasa.gov)
- New moon always rises near sunrise
- First Quarter rises near noon
- Full Moon always rises near sunset
- Winter Full Moons are high in the sky
- Last Quarter rises near midnight
- Moonrise occurs about 50 minutes later each day
Comets and Meteor Showers
No significant comets or meteors for this month. Of course there are always surprises.
More Posts about the Night Sky
Circumpolar Stars in the Night Sky
Using the Pleiades as a Natural Calendar (with video)
Seasons: Earth’s Natural Rhythms Explained