The next few evenings offer a great chance to see the Milky Way, the hazy band of light that outlines the disk of our home galaxy. It arcs high across the sky at nightfall, and there's no Moon around to spoil the show.
Weekly Stargazing Tips
Provided by StarDate.org. Unless otherwise specified, viewing times are local time regardless of time zone, and are good for the entire Lower 48 states (and, generally, for Alaska and Hawaii).
September 17: The Milky Way
September 18: Moon, Venus, Regulus
There's a beautiful conjunction in tomorrow's early morning sky involving the Moon, the planet Venus, and the star Regulus. They are quite low at first light. Venus is the Morning Star, with Regulus a bit farther from the Moon.
September 19: Disappearing Mars
Mars is disappearing in the evening twilight. From the northern part of the country, it's probably too low in the twilight to see at all. From south of about Dallas, it looks like a fairly bright star quite low in the west-southwest as twilight begins to fade.
September 20: Saturn at Opposition
Happy Saturn's Day, the day of the week named for Saturn, the second-largest planet in the solar system. The name is especially fitting today because the planet is at its best for the entire year. It looks like a bright star, shining all night long.
September 21: More Saturn Opposition
Saturn, the Sun's second-largest planet, is at its best for the entire year. It looks like a bright star, low in the east at nightfall and climbing high across the south during the night.
September 22: Falling into Autumn
Earth "falls" into a new season today-astronomically speaking. It's the September equinox, when the Sun crosses the equator from north to south. It marks the start of autumn in the northern hemisphere and spring in the southern hemisphere.
September 23: Neptune at Opposition
The planet Neptune is in view all night and is brightest for the year, but you need a telescope to see it. You can easily spot its location, though. As night falls, look for Saturn, which looks like a bright star, low in the east. Neptune is to the left of Saturn.