Look Out for Potential Auroras, a Partially Eclipsed Supermoon, and More in September's Night Sky

03.09.2024 - 20:56 / travelandleisure.com

September welcomes a flurry of night-sky sights, from potential above-average northern lights — known to amplify around the equinoxes — to optimal planet viewing and the crème de la crème of lunar sightings: a partially eclipsed supermoon.

If you’re heading out to sky-watch, remember dark-sky locales, such as astargazing hotel, provide the best vantage point. You can pack a pair ofstargazing binoculars, or choose an accommodation with a telescope, but many of the month’s sightings are visible to the naked eye.

Here are the best night-sky attractions to keep an eye on this month, including where and when to look, and tips for snagging the best view.

Our solar system’s innermost planet, Mercury, will be more easily visible than normal on Sept. 5. It reaches its greatest western elongation—where it’s farthest from the sun—around 11 p.m. ET on Sept. 4, according to EarthSky. That said, it won’t be visible in the sky until the pre-dawn hours of Sept. 5, from around 5:45 to 6:15 a.m., according to SkySafari. You can spot it with the naked eye thanks to its -0.3 magnitude, roughly between the brightness of Sirius and Polaris. Look toward the eastern horizon, with Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus in a diagonal row above it.

Saturn and its rings will show off the night of Sept. 7, when the planet reaches opposition—when it lies opposite from the sun when viewed from Earth. It will shine at its brightest magnitude (0.57) of the year tonight. Look for a yellowish dot traveling above the east-southeast horizon in the constellation Aquarius after sunset. You can see Saturn with the naked eye, but a backyard telescope will help you admire its eye-popping rings.

If you missed the first supermoon of the year in August, you’re in luck. The full harvest moon the evening of Sept. 17 — the second of four supermoons in 2024 — comes with a special treat. Stargazers across much of the world, including the U.S. (outside of Alaska), western Europe, parts of Asia, and Africa, will see a partially eclipsed harvest supermoon around 10:45 p.m. ET, according to SkySafari. The lunar show will begin around 8:41 p.m. ET as the moon enters Earth’s light outer shadow; our neighboring space rock will have that signature eclipse “bite” missing from 10:13 to 11:16 p.m. EDT.

Through a backyard telescope or stargazing binoculars, you can snag one of the best views of Neptune for 2024. The distant planet will reach its closest point to Earth (opposition) on Sept. 20 around 6:45 p.m. ET, according to Star Walk. It will be visible through much of the night above the east-southeast horizon. Look for Saturn, visible to the naked eye, to the right of it as well.

On Sept. 22, the sun will cross the celestial equator, marking autumn in the northern