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September 2010 Observing Guide
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14 years 4 months ago #85793
by Neill
September 2010 Observing Guide was created by Neill
Hi all,
Sept's guide is below, hope to see many of you at the Burren.
OBSERVING GUIDE
(Please note all times are ST unless otherwise stated and are based on an observing location of Belfast and covers the month of September)
The Sun
At the start of the month, the Sun rises at 06:30 and sets at 20:15. By the end of the month, it rises at 07:25 and sets at 19:00.
The Planets
Mercury is at greatest western elongation on the 19th and is a morning object in the east during the second half of the month. On the 19th, it rises at 05:20 with sunrise at 07:05. By month’s end it rises at 06:05 with sunrise at 07:25. On the 19th it is mag -0.3, after this it brightens as it moves back towards the sun and by month’s end it is mag -1.1.
Venus, Mars and Saturn are lost to the solar glare this month and are not observable.
Jupiter is at opposition on the 21st and is well placed for observation this month. It rises at 20:50 at the start of the month and by month’s end, it rises during daylight hours. It is in Pisces, to the South of the Circlet asterism and maintains its brightness during the month at mag -2.9. It is also at conjunction with Uranus on the 18th with the gap between the two less than a degree; the fainter Uranus will sit to the North of Jupiter. Currently Jupiter’s South Equatorial Belt has gone missing; also its four Galilean moons are worth a look in a small telescope.
Uranus is also at opposition on the 21st and is well placed for observation this month. It rises at 20:40 at the start of the month and by month’s end, it rises during daylight hours. It maintains its brightness during the month at mag +5.7 and as stated above is at conjunction with Jupiter, making it a very good time to spot this planet using the bright Jupiter as guide.
Neptune is well placed for observation this month and rises during daylight hours. It maintains its brightness during the month at mag +7.8. It lies to the West of Iota Aquarii (mag +4.3) and to the North of Delta Capricorni (mag +2.9).
The Moon
The last quarter moon is on the 1st with the new moon on the 8th. The first quarter moon is on the 15th with the full moon on the 23rd.
On the morning of the 1st, the waning gibbous moon lies two degrees to the South of M45 –The Pleiades at around 01:00.
On the morning of the 3rd, the waning crescent moon lies four degrees to the North-West of M35 at around 02:00.
On the morning of the 5th, the waning crescent moon lies to the South of Castor (Alpha Geminorum, mag +2.0) and Pollux (Beta Geminorum, mag +1.1) at around 03:00.
On the morning of the 7th, the thin waning crescent moon lies to the West of Regulus (Alpha Leonis, mag +1.4) at around 06:00.
On the evenings of the 13th and 14th, the waxing crescent moon lies near to Antares (Alpha Scorpii, mag +0.9). On the 13th, it lies six degrees to the West of the star and on the 14th; it lies the same distance to its’ East. On both evenings look around 20:00.
On the evenings of the 19th and 20th, the waxing gibbous moon lies near to Neptune. On the 19th, it lies eight degrees to the West of the planet and seven degrees to its’ North-East on the 20th. On both evenings look around 23:00.
On the evening of the 22nd, the near full moon lies eight degrees to the North-West of Jupiter and Uranus at around 23:00.
On the evening of the 27th, the waning gibbous moon lies four degrees to the West of M45 –The Pleiades at around midnight.
On the evening of the 28th, the waning gibbous moon lies to the North of Aldebaran (Alpha Tauri, mag +0.9) at around 23:00.
Meteors
The ZHR or Zenithal Hourly Rate is the number of meteors an observer would see in one hour under a clear, dark sky with a limiting apparent magnitude of 6.5 and if the radiant of the shower were in the zenith. The rate that can effectively be seen is nearly always lower and decreases as the radiant is closer to the horizon. The Zenith is the overhead point in the sky for an observer. The radiant is the point in the sky, from which (to a planetary observer) meteors appear to originate, i.e. the Perseids, for example, are meteors which appear to come from a point within the constellation of Perseus. A fireball is defined by the International Astronomical Union as a meteor brighter than any of the planets, i.e. magnitude -4 or brighter. The International Meteor Organisation alternatively defines it as a meteor which would have a magnitude of -3 or brighter at the zenith.
There are seven minor showers in September. The first one is the Alpha Aurigids which peak around the 1st/2nd with a low ZHR. The radiant is visible from about 01:00 and the last quarter moon in Taurus drowns the shower out.
The second one is Gamma Aquarids. They peak around the 7th/8th with a low ZHR. The radiant is visible once darkness falls and there is no lunar interference.
The third shower is the Piscids which has two peaks on the 9th and 21st. The ZHR’s are 10 and 5 respectively. The radiant is visible from about 22:00. There is no lunar interference for the first peak, but the second peak is drowned out by the near full moon in Aquarius.
The fourth shower is the September Perseids which peak on the 9th. The ZHR is 5 with the radiant visible as darkness falls and there is no lunar interference.
The fifth shower is the Alpha Triangulids which peak around the 11th/12th with a low ZHR. The moon is out of the picture allowing for good conditions with the radiant visible as darkness falls.
The sixth shower is the Eta Draconids which peak around the 12th/13th with a low ZHR. The moon is out of the picture allowing for good conditions with the radiant visible as darkness falls.
The final shower of the month is the Delta Aurigids which peak on the 29th. The ZHR is 2 with the radiant visible from about 23:00. However the waning gibbous moon in Auriga drowns out this shower.
Asteroids
(
Flora is at opposition on the 10th when it will be mag +8.2. It can be located in Aquarius,to the West of Omega Aquarii (mag +4.5) and to the South-West of Jupiter and Uranus at the time of opposition.
(6) Hebe is at opposition on the 19th when it will be mag +7.7. It can be located in Cetus, to the West of Diphda (Beta Ceti, mag +2.0) and to the South-East of Jupiter and Uranus at the time of opposition.
Finder charts for both asteroids can be found at www.rasnz.org.nz and www.heavens-above.com in the source list below.
Comets
Comet 10P/Tempel 2 is predicted to be around mag +9 in September. It spends the month in Cetus, in the tail of the sea monster. It is visible from around 01:00 at the start of the month and from around 23:00 by month’s end to the South-East of Jupiter and Uranus.
Comet 103P/Hartley is predicted to reach mag +4 in October. During September, it is predicted to brighten from mag +9 to mag +6 and pass through the Northerly part of Andromeda, heading towards Cassiopeia. It is visible all night and on the morning of the 9th, it passes ten arcminutes to the South of Omicron Andromedae (mag +3.6) with a predicted brightness of mag +8. On the evening of the 29th at around midnight, it passes two arcminutes to the South of Lambda Cassiopeia (mag +4.7) with a predicted brightness of mag +6.
Finder charts and further information about the above and other comets can be found at www.aerith.net , cometchasing.skyhound.com , www.ast.cam.ac.uk/%7Ejds/ and kometen.fg-vds.de/fgk_hpe.htm in the source list below.
Deep Sky
On the deep sky front this month, galaxies M81 and M82 can be observed in Ursa Major. In Hercules, two globular clusters – M92 and the excellent M13 can be observed and in Lyra – M57 – The Ring Nebula can be observed. In Vulpecula – M27 – The Dumbbell Nebula can be found. In Andromeda, M31 – The Andromeda galaxy can be observed along with its satellite galaxies M32 and M110. In Perseus, there is the open cluster M34 and the excellent Double Cluster – NGC 869 and 884. In Triangulum, there is the galaxy M33. Finally Auriga is reappearing with its three open clusters M36, M37 and M38 as is Taurus with the excellent Pleiades – M45 and the Hyades.
General Notes
Always keep an eye out for Aurorae. The autumn equinox is on the 22nd which sees the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. This is the day where the length of day and night is the same and after this the night will take over cumulating with the shortest day of the year on the winter solstice in December.
Other interesting naked eye phenomena to look out for include the Zodiacal Light and the Gegenschein. Both are caused by sunlight reflecting off dust particles which are present in the solar system. The Zodiacal Light can be seen in the West after evening twilight has disappeared or in the East before the morning twilight. The best time of year to see the phenomenon is late-Feb to early-April in the evening sky and September/October in the morning sky - it's then that the ecliptic, along which the cone of the zodiacal light lies, is steepest in our skies. The Gegenschein can be seen in the area of the sky opposite the sun. To view either, you must get yourself to a very dark site to cut out the light pollution. When trying to observe either of these phenomena, it is best to do so when the moon is below the horizon.
Clear Skies
Neill McKeown
Information Sources Used and Links
www.skyviewcafe.com
Sky at Night Magazine Observing Guide and CD
www.aerith.net and cometchasing.skyhound.com
www.ast.cam.ac.uk/%7Ejds/
kometen.fg-vds.de/fgk_hpe.htm
www.rasnz.org.nz – Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand website
Stardust Magazine
Sky Guide 2010 – South Dublin Astronomical Society
Philip’s Stargazing 2010
Patrick Moore’s 2010 Yearbook of Astronomy
www.heavens-above.com
www.irishastronomy.org – Irish Federation of Astronomy Societies Website
irishastro.org.uk – Irish Astronomical Association website
www.eaas.co.uk – Northern Ireland Amateur Astronomy Society
Sept's guide is below, hope to see many of you at the Burren.
OBSERVING GUIDE
(Please note all times are ST unless otherwise stated and are based on an observing location of Belfast and covers the month of September)
The Sun
At the start of the month, the Sun rises at 06:30 and sets at 20:15. By the end of the month, it rises at 07:25 and sets at 19:00.
The Planets
Mercury is at greatest western elongation on the 19th and is a morning object in the east during the second half of the month. On the 19th, it rises at 05:20 with sunrise at 07:05. By month’s end it rises at 06:05 with sunrise at 07:25. On the 19th it is mag -0.3, after this it brightens as it moves back towards the sun and by month’s end it is mag -1.1.
Venus, Mars and Saturn are lost to the solar glare this month and are not observable.
Jupiter is at opposition on the 21st and is well placed for observation this month. It rises at 20:50 at the start of the month and by month’s end, it rises during daylight hours. It is in Pisces, to the South of the Circlet asterism and maintains its brightness during the month at mag -2.9. It is also at conjunction with Uranus on the 18th with the gap between the two less than a degree; the fainter Uranus will sit to the North of Jupiter. Currently Jupiter’s South Equatorial Belt has gone missing; also its four Galilean moons are worth a look in a small telescope.
Uranus is also at opposition on the 21st and is well placed for observation this month. It rises at 20:40 at the start of the month and by month’s end, it rises during daylight hours. It maintains its brightness during the month at mag +5.7 and as stated above is at conjunction with Jupiter, making it a very good time to spot this planet using the bright Jupiter as guide.
Neptune is well placed for observation this month and rises during daylight hours. It maintains its brightness during the month at mag +7.8. It lies to the West of Iota Aquarii (mag +4.3) and to the North of Delta Capricorni (mag +2.9).
The Moon
The last quarter moon is on the 1st with the new moon on the 8th. The first quarter moon is on the 15th with the full moon on the 23rd.
On the morning of the 1st, the waning gibbous moon lies two degrees to the South of M45 –The Pleiades at around 01:00.
On the morning of the 3rd, the waning crescent moon lies four degrees to the North-West of M35 at around 02:00.
On the morning of the 5th, the waning crescent moon lies to the South of Castor (Alpha Geminorum, mag +2.0) and Pollux (Beta Geminorum, mag +1.1) at around 03:00.
On the morning of the 7th, the thin waning crescent moon lies to the West of Regulus (Alpha Leonis, mag +1.4) at around 06:00.
On the evenings of the 13th and 14th, the waxing crescent moon lies near to Antares (Alpha Scorpii, mag +0.9). On the 13th, it lies six degrees to the West of the star and on the 14th; it lies the same distance to its’ East. On both evenings look around 20:00.
On the evenings of the 19th and 20th, the waxing gibbous moon lies near to Neptune. On the 19th, it lies eight degrees to the West of the planet and seven degrees to its’ North-East on the 20th. On both evenings look around 23:00.
On the evening of the 22nd, the near full moon lies eight degrees to the North-West of Jupiter and Uranus at around 23:00.
On the evening of the 27th, the waning gibbous moon lies four degrees to the West of M45 –The Pleiades at around midnight.
On the evening of the 28th, the waning gibbous moon lies to the North of Aldebaran (Alpha Tauri, mag +0.9) at around 23:00.
Meteors
The ZHR or Zenithal Hourly Rate is the number of meteors an observer would see in one hour under a clear, dark sky with a limiting apparent magnitude of 6.5 and if the radiant of the shower were in the zenith. The rate that can effectively be seen is nearly always lower and decreases as the radiant is closer to the horizon. The Zenith is the overhead point in the sky for an observer. The radiant is the point in the sky, from which (to a planetary observer) meteors appear to originate, i.e. the Perseids, for example, are meteors which appear to come from a point within the constellation of Perseus. A fireball is defined by the International Astronomical Union as a meteor brighter than any of the planets, i.e. magnitude -4 or brighter. The International Meteor Organisation alternatively defines it as a meteor which would have a magnitude of -3 or brighter at the zenith.
There are seven minor showers in September. The first one is the Alpha Aurigids which peak around the 1st/2nd with a low ZHR. The radiant is visible from about 01:00 and the last quarter moon in Taurus drowns the shower out.
The second one is Gamma Aquarids. They peak around the 7th/8th with a low ZHR. The radiant is visible once darkness falls and there is no lunar interference.
The third shower is the Piscids which has two peaks on the 9th and 21st. The ZHR’s are 10 and 5 respectively. The radiant is visible from about 22:00. There is no lunar interference for the first peak, but the second peak is drowned out by the near full moon in Aquarius.
The fourth shower is the September Perseids which peak on the 9th. The ZHR is 5 with the radiant visible as darkness falls and there is no lunar interference.
The fifth shower is the Alpha Triangulids which peak around the 11th/12th with a low ZHR. The moon is out of the picture allowing for good conditions with the radiant visible as darkness falls.
The sixth shower is the Eta Draconids which peak around the 12th/13th with a low ZHR. The moon is out of the picture allowing for good conditions with the radiant visible as darkness falls.
The final shower of the month is the Delta Aurigids which peak on the 29th. The ZHR is 2 with the radiant visible from about 23:00. However the waning gibbous moon in Auriga drowns out this shower.
Asteroids
(
Flora is at opposition on the 10th when it will be mag +8.2. It can be located in Aquarius,to the West of Omega Aquarii (mag +4.5) and to the South-West of Jupiter and Uranus at the time of opposition.(6) Hebe is at opposition on the 19th when it will be mag +7.7. It can be located in Cetus, to the West of Diphda (Beta Ceti, mag +2.0) and to the South-East of Jupiter and Uranus at the time of opposition.
Finder charts for both asteroids can be found at www.rasnz.org.nz and www.heavens-above.com in the source list below.
Comets
Comet 10P/Tempel 2 is predicted to be around mag +9 in September. It spends the month in Cetus, in the tail of the sea monster. It is visible from around 01:00 at the start of the month and from around 23:00 by month’s end to the South-East of Jupiter and Uranus.
Comet 103P/Hartley is predicted to reach mag +4 in October. During September, it is predicted to brighten from mag +9 to mag +6 and pass through the Northerly part of Andromeda, heading towards Cassiopeia. It is visible all night and on the morning of the 9th, it passes ten arcminutes to the South of Omicron Andromedae (mag +3.6) with a predicted brightness of mag +8. On the evening of the 29th at around midnight, it passes two arcminutes to the South of Lambda Cassiopeia (mag +4.7) with a predicted brightness of mag +6.
Finder charts and further information about the above and other comets can be found at www.aerith.net , cometchasing.skyhound.com , www.ast.cam.ac.uk/%7Ejds/ and kometen.fg-vds.de/fgk_hpe.htm in the source list below.
Deep Sky
On the deep sky front this month, galaxies M81 and M82 can be observed in Ursa Major. In Hercules, two globular clusters – M92 and the excellent M13 can be observed and in Lyra – M57 – The Ring Nebula can be observed. In Vulpecula – M27 – The Dumbbell Nebula can be found. In Andromeda, M31 – The Andromeda galaxy can be observed along with its satellite galaxies M32 and M110. In Perseus, there is the open cluster M34 and the excellent Double Cluster – NGC 869 and 884. In Triangulum, there is the galaxy M33. Finally Auriga is reappearing with its three open clusters M36, M37 and M38 as is Taurus with the excellent Pleiades – M45 and the Hyades.
General Notes
Always keep an eye out for Aurorae. The autumn equinox is on the 22nd which sees the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. This is the day where the length of day and night is the same and after this the night will take over cumulating with the shortest day of the year on the winter solstice in December.
Other interesting naked eye phenomena to look out for include the Zodiacal Light and the Gegenschein. Both are caused by sunlight reflecting off dust particles which are present in the solar system. The Zodiacal Light can be seen in the West after evening twilight has disappeared or in the East before the morning twilight. The best time of year to see the phenomenon is late-Feb to early-April in the evening sky and September/October in the morning sky - it's then that the ecliptic, along which the cone of the zodiacal light lies, is steepest in our skies. The Gegenschein can be seen in the area of the sky opposite the sun. To view either, you must get yourself to a very dark site to cut out the light pollution. When trying to observe either of these phenomena, it is best to do so when the moon is below the horizon.
Clear Skies
Neill McKeown
Information Sources Used and Links
www.skyviewcafe.com
Sky at Night Magazine Observing Guide and CD
www.aerith.net and cometchasing.skyhound.com
www.ast.cam.ac.uk/%7Ejds/
kometen.fg-vds.de/fgk_hpe.htm
www.rasnz.org.nz – Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand website
Stardust Magazine
Sky Guide 2010 – South Dublin Astronomical Society
Philip’s Stargazing 2010
Patrick Moore’s 2010 Yearbook of Astronomy
www.heavens-above.com
www.irishastronomy.org – Irish Federation of Astronomy Societies Website
irishastro.org.uk – Irish Astronomical Association website
www.eaas.co.uk – Northern Ireland Amateur Astronomy Society
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