A general ASTRONOMY site to get you started exploring the night sky
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Mars will be very bright & “big” this January 2025
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Useful anywhere in the mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere including the continental US, Hawaii, Europe, Japan, etc. Optimized for 1.5 hours after sunset but can be used for several hours after that. Indicates visible planets and best objects for binoculars and telescopes. Packed with facts, mythology, Moon phases, meteor showers and more. For other months, see the archive below.
September 2024 Notes
★ About 90 minutes after Sunset ★
Planets
Venus is low in the West and sets about 1.5 hours after the Sun. Saturn is low in
the East, in the constellation Aquarius and is visible most of the night—it is near the
Circlet of Pisces. Saturn is not conspicuously bright and can be easy to miss.
Jupiter, in Taurus rises in the East around midnight. Jupiter is alway bright and easy to spot. Mars, in Gemini rises a little after Jupiter and will rival Jupiter in brightest during January 2025.
Constellations
This is the month for the Summer Triangle because it is directly overhead and stretches/points due South. The thickest and brightest part of the Milky Way Band hovers at the horizon, just west of due South. Looking north, Cassiopeia is level with and to the right of Polaris, the North Star. The Big Dipper is on the opposite side but the bowl hangs lower, toward the horizon. Follow the curved handle of the Big Dipper to the bright star Arcturus hanging lower due West. Oh, if you get up before sunrise and look east, you will find Orion on its side.