Jonathan Powell, South Wales Argus astronomy writer, tells us what to expect in the night sky:
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx, the first US mission to collect a sample from an asteroid, is scheduled to return to Earth on September 24.
In October 2020 the probe briefly touched down on the surface of an asteroid named Bennu where it collected a sample of dust and rock.
India has successfully landed a spacecraft on the Moon and have joined an elite band of countries along with the USA, Russia, and China.
The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation, (ISRO), touched down at the Moon’s south pole, a region of the lunar surface that holds great interest for astronomers as it has many deep craters which may well harbour water ice.
Comet C/2023 P1 Nishimura
Astronomer Hideo Nishimura of Kakegawa, of Japan, photographed a new comet which now bears his name.
There is hope that the comet will be bright enough during September to be seen with the naked eye.
It will be closest to Earth on Tuesday, September 12, at 77.9 million miles distant.
It is around this part of the month when the comet is expected to be at its brightest, potentially observable without binoculars or a telescope. On Sunday September 17 it comet will make its closest approach to the Sun at 20.92 million miles distant.
To get the best possible views of Comet Nishimura you will need to be up early in the morning with a good view of the eastern horizon, as unhindered as much as possible by artificial lighting.
Several hours before dawn and using the chart, sweep the area of the comet’s predicted path, firstly with binoculars to try and pinpoint its whereabouts. It will prove a challenge to spot even at naked eye and will be little more than a fuzzy blob, but ‘fuzzy blob’ or not, it’s a comet in our skies!
Use this link to track the comet: theskylive.com/c2023p1-info
Harvest Moon
The Harvest Moon is the full Moon which occurs closest to the autumnal equinox.
For several nights in a row, a large full Moon will rise shortly after sunset, and in a time before electricity, the farming community took advantage of the bright moonlight to harvesting crops, working late into the evening.
During a Harvest Moon, the Moon’s orbit is nearly parallel to the Earth’s eastern horizon at sunset, meaning we have a rather prompt moonrise after sundown.
September’s full Moon is also a ‘supermoon’, the last of 2023. It is the third closest ‘supermoon’ of the year at 224,658 miles distant.
The autumn sky
Astronomer, broadcaster and writer Katrin Raynor talks about we can expect to see over the coming months.
She said: "We are lucky living in South Wales having access to so many dark sky areas that we can walk or drive to, to enjoy the night sky. However, there are many treasures to delight in from your back garden.
"This coming season, there is plenty to look forward to whether you are using your naked eye, binoculars, or a telescope.
"For a while now, I have been using a rather modest Celestron dobsonian reflector that has a 76mm aperture. Costing less than £50, it is a great piece of equipment, yielding some satisfactory results with it being simple to use while being perfectly portable.
"During September we have the last supermoon of the year. October is a perfect opportunity to see the constellation Taurus. Aldeberan, an unmistakable bright orange star within Taurus, is a naked eye target as well as the Hyades and the Pleaides star clusters that look like faint fuzzy patches of light. Using my telescope on both the clusters, I can see hundreds more stars through the eyepiece.
"Jupiter reaches its closest point to Earth on Thursday November 9, another great target for my telescope. I have managed to observe the four largest moons of Jupiter from my moderately light polluted front garden which I will say is quite exhilarating.
"Venus and a waning crescent Moon will delight us on Saturday December 9, and everyone’s favourite constellation, Orion, will be prominent in the mid-winter sky.
"A great target for naked eye astronomy is the unmistakable three stars aligned in an almost straight line, forming the asterism, Orion’s Belt. Hanging down from the middle star of the belt is Orion’s Sword and waiting within is the Orion Nebula, a fuzzy patch of light visible to the naked eye. A pair of binoculars or a telescope will reveal the grey-green nebulosity of this stellar nursery.
"This is a favourite telescope target of mine and the Trapezium star cluster can easily be viewed through it. We end the year with the winter solstice on the Thursday December 21, when longer days start to creep in ever so slowly.”
Autumn Equinox
On Saturday September 23 at 7.49am, we mark the autumn equinox.
On this day, the sun will be exactly above the Earth’s equator, moving from north to south, with sunlight striking both the northern and southern hemisphere in equal amounts.
After this day, the nights become longer than the days.
Beginner’s Corner
As a help to beginners to find their way around the night sky, use the Moon during September to try and pick out some of the more notable stars on view.
On Sunday September 10, the Moon will be positioned to south of Pollux, the brightest star in the constellation of Gemini, the Twins.
On Wednesday September 13, the Moon is positioned to the north of Regulus, the brightest star in Leo, the Lion.
On Sunday September 17, the Moon is positioned to the north of Spica, the brightest star in Virgo, the Virgin.
On Thursday September 21, the Moon is positioned to the north of Antares in Scorpius, the Scorpion.
Planets
Mercury and Venus are both on view in the morning sky.
Mercury will begin to emerge from the predawn twilight as the month progresses, rising about one hour before the Sun by the end of September.
Use Venus as a guide after September 20, with Mercury positioned to the lower left of the planet.
Venus itself appears as a magnificent object in the morning sky, on view for around two hours at the start of the month, increasing its stay in our skies to four hours by the end of September.
On Monday September 11, and Tuesday September 12, watch for a lovely pairing in the dawn sky of both Venus and a crescent Moon.
On Monday September 18, Venus will reach its greatest brilliance in the sky. Around this time, it is not impossible for Venus to cast a shadow.
While Mars is not visible during September as its position is too close to the Sun, Jupiter will be positioned in the southern aspect of the sky, rising around 9pm. Saturn too is positioned to the south in the neighbouring constellation of Aquarius.
On Tuesday September 26, the Moon will appear close to the ringed planet.
Society meetings
Barry Astronomical Society. Monday September 18. 7pm. Criminals in Astronomy– Mike Disney. Barry Community Centre, Cemetery Road, Barry, CF62 8BP.
Bridgend Astronomical Society. Wednesday September 20. 7.30pm. The Chelyabinsk Meteor – Dr Ezzy Pearson. Bridgend Tennis, Squash, and Bowls Club, Halo Rec Centre, Angel Street, CF31 4AH.
Heads of the Valley Astronomical Society. Tuesday September 26. 7pm. Meteorites – Nick Busby. Learning Action Centre, 20 James Street, Ebbw Vale, Gwent, NP23 6JG.
Moon phases
Third quarter September 6; New Moon September 15; First quarter September 22; Full Moon September 29.
Sunrise/Sunset Times
Start of September: Sun rises at 6.23am. Sets at 7.59pm. End of September: Sun rises at 7.10am. Sets at 6.52pm.
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