For the Northern Hemisphere
September 23 - October 22, 2007
Printable
date table includes lunar cycle 9/11-10/10.
For
a print-friendly version of this page click
here.
Look Up!
More Martian Water!
Have You Seen the Shape Shifting Red Triad Yet?
Venus Blazes with Her Predawn Dance Partners
Mercury Lies Low
Jupiter’s Galilean Family
The Moon Sheds Light on Our Harvest
Date Table
Moon Dances 9/11-10/10
Moon Dances 10/10-11/9
The Night Sky ~ Home Page
Planetary Treats
Mars
South Pole Is Mostly Water!
Image: NASA/MOLA
Science Team
This image of Mars' south polar region shows the ice cap (in white) within the smooth polar layered deposits that overlie the cratered southern highlands.
MIT Discovers Martian Water
MIT’s team of planetary scientists used topographical and gravitational data gathered by three Mars orbiters to find the volume and mass of the ice cap. They were then able to calculate density and make their determination, which appeared in the September 21, 2007 issue of Science.
The new results show that water, not carbon dioxide, is the predominant frozen liquid found in the southern polar region of Mars … water ice is the dominant constituent beneath a thin dust veneer … Maria Zuber, MIT professor of geophysics
The southern Martian polar region is the largest body of frozen water on the planet and the largest, outside of Earth, in the inner solar system, which includes Mars, Earth, Venus and Mercury. Full MIT News Article
Phoenix
Mission
NASA Explores the Martian North Pole
Launch: August 4, 2007
Arrival: May 25, 2008
ESA
Mars Express
Europe’s Orbiter Sees Breathtaking Views
Networks with NASA’s Phoenix Mission
NASA
Mars Exploration Rover Mission
Rovers Shake off Martian Dust ~ Back to Work!
NASA
Mars Odyssey
7 Possible Cave Entrances Found on Martian Volcano!
Mars and Earth are hurtling toward each other! By September 25 Mars is as close to Earth as our Sun, 93 million miles or one AU. By December 18 Mars is at its closest, a distance of only 55 million miles. The Red Planet reaches opposition and peak brightness December 24. The best views of Mars occur from October 2007-February 2008.
The Red Planet rises in the northeast at 11:15pm in the beginning of Libra, by its end at 10:30pm and moves toward the south as the morning progresses. By sunrise it lies near overhead. Mars is positioned among the bright and beautiful winter stars, near the feet of the Gemini Twins, as it moves toward a direct alignment with red Betelgeuse to the south. Star Map Look Up! Watch Mars grow redder, brighter and bigger as its distance from Earth decreases over the next few months.
Telescoping Mars
If you view Mars around midnight in early October, the hemisphere facing Earth will include Syrtis Major, the planet's darkest and most recognizable feature [Image]. Mars rotates once every 24.5 hours. As a result, martian features seen at the same time each night appear to rotate backward out of sight. Astronomy Magazine 10/07
September 23 Telescopic Images of Mar
Filters
for Viewing Mars
Scroll page for Parts 1-3
Solar
System Simulator
View Mars as Seen from Earth
UT/UTC
Time Conversion
Have
You Seen the Shape Shifting Red Triad Yet?
Look for the red triangle formed by Mars, Aldebaran in Taurus southwest of the planet, and Betelgeuse in Orion southeast of the planet; compare the red color, brightness and size of each. October 1-3 a waning Moon transits the red triad, first aligning with Aldebaran, then Mars and finally Betelgeuse. Click Moon Dances for a map and reflections.
Note: As Mars changes its position in the sky, this triangle shifts its shape!
Reflections ~ Red Triad ~ Mars Approach
Energies of struggle and sacrifice (Mars), love and service (Betelgeuse) and illumination and elightenment (Aldebaran) circulate through and emanate from the Red Triad, which acts as a generator for the creation of new world. Look Up! Take part in the divine transition.
Choose your battles well during this approach. The spiritual warrior knows that apparent outer enemies are really a reflection of inner demons. Slay the demons within by raising them into the light, rather than lashing out at others. Find the common ground and the unity within the diversity. Create right relationship.
[Return to Menu at top]
Pairing-Up and Nestling with Regulus, Saturn, the Crescent Moon! View During Libra – 4:30am-Sunrise |
|
|
|
Image: Magellan Project / JPL / NASA |
Image: Very Large Telescope (VLT) |
Venus and Saturn are in a striking predawn encounter along with Regulus, the brightest star in Leo the Lion, the Lion’s blue-white heart star. Venus, achieving greatest brilliancy at magnitude -4.8 September 23, is "knock your socks off" stunning as it first approaches Regulus, then Saturn from the west and finally passes both of them to the east.
Mark Your Calendar!
October 6, Saturday morning, a waning crescent Moon lies above the Venus, Regulus and Saturn trio; October 7, predawn Sunday, the waning Crescent Moon joins the trio near Saturn. Star Map October 8, Monday, a sliver of a Moon lies below the trio.October 9, Tuesday, Venus passes 3 degrees* south of Regulus.
Moon
Dances October 6-8
Map and Reflections
October 13 and 14, Saturday and Sunday morning, Venus lies closest to Saturn. 10/13 Predawn Map/Text These two planets are in exact conjunction October 13 at 9:28pm PDT; 04:28 UT 10/14. October 15 Venus passes 3 degrees* south of Saturn. 10/15 4:30am Map In the beginning of Libra Venus rises at 3:45am followed by Saturn at 4:25am. By Libra's end Saturn rises at 3:15am followed by Venus at 3:30am.
Reflections ~ Venus, Saturn, Regulus, Leo the Lion
The potent dance and pairing of Venus with Regulus and Saturn occur in the constellation Leo the Lion.
Leo's highest expression is the fully integrated personality who stands out from the "herd" and is ignited by the fire of Divine Will. Venus the Goddess of Love together with Saturn the Gatekeeper bring a sobering, evolutionary quality of love to relationships. It’s as if they are assisting Regulus the Lion-Hearted Lawgiver who acts as a regulator for the evolutionary energies of Sirius and the Christ consciousness.
Note: There have been 3 recent conjunctions of Venus and Saturn in the constellation Leo the Lion near Regulus: July 1 above the western horizon, August 13 in the Sun's glowing embrace, and now October 13/14 above the eastern horizon.
Humanity is being required to rise up with a wise love that sees beyond duality, a love that encompasses the whole and aligns with the Law of the Soul. This love when mastered can resolve conflicts and establish harmony. It leads to synthesis.
Mercury gives a poor performance for Northern Hemisphere observers as it hugs the southwestern horizon after sunset. September 29 the planet reaches greatest elongation. Early October it sinks toward the horizon becoming difficult to see in the sunset glow. October 12, right after sunset-7:00pm, use binoculars to spot a difficult to see thin Crescent Moon just below elusive Mercury low in the west-southwest. October 23 the planet is embraced by the Sun in inferior conjunction. Late October Mercury reappears in the morning sky.
Mercury retrograde (10/12-10/31) brings with it a shift or change in direction. Allow the new incoming energies to break up the old patterns. Surrender and maintain.
[Return to Menu at top]
Jupiter’s Galilean
Family
30th Anniversary of Voyager 1
Image: NSSDC
Photo Gallery
Voyager 1, Jupiter’s Galilean Family, Faint Jupiter Ring
Jupiter and its four planet-size moons, called the Galilean satellites, were photographed early March 1979 by Voyager 1 and assembled into the above collage, which was released June 22, 1979. The moons are not to scale but are in their relative positions. Reddish Io (upper left) is nearest Jupiter; then Europa (center); Ganymede and finally Callisto (lower right) the farthest from Jupiter. Voyager 1 returned spectacular images of their terrain, including an erupting volcano on Io, the first seen anywhere other than on Earth. These photographs opened up a completely new world for planetary scientists.
Not visible in the above montage is Jupiter's faint ring of particles, seen for the first time by Voyager 1. View this ring’s location around the planet. This discovery led eager scientists to learn more about Jupiter’s rings.
Voyager 1 ~ 30 Years Old!
A mission that was supposed to last just five years is celebrating its 30th anniversary! Launched September 5, 1977, Voyager 1 is now at the outer edge of our solar system and continues to this day to beam back new information! It is the most distant human-made object in the cosmos.
Voyager 1 ~ Overview and History
Jupiter, located above and to the east of Antares, the heart star of the cosmic Scorpion, is sinking toward the southwestern horizon giving us roughly 2 1/2 hours viewing time. This is your last good opportunity to view the planet's 4 Galilean moons before they disappear into the western twilight. You need only use binoculars, if your sky is dark enough! Jupiter sets in the beginning of Libra around 10:30pm and by its end at 9:00pm.
Jupiter’s
Moons
Sky & Telescope’s JavaScript utility helps
locate Jupiter’s four brightest satellites anytime
between January 1900–December 2100.
Jupiter’s a Fun Planet to Watch
Check out the steady glow of Jupiter and the twinkling gleam of Antares. Can you detect their color differences? Jupiter is reflecting the yellow color of sunlight, while Antares is making its own light, which burns a cooler red. Here’s some fun food for thought!
Look for the waxing Crescent Moon in the vicinity of Jupiter and Antares, October 14-17. Make sure to look soon after sunset or you’ll miss the heavenly view! Click Moon Dances for a map and reflections.
[Return to Menu at top]
The
Planets
Is it
a planet? ... What planet? When you look up at the night sky, how do you
know you are looking at a planet? Click
here.
When gauging distance in degrees, please note:
*2 degrees is hardly more than a finger's breadth at arm's length.
**10 degrees is one width of your fist at arm's length.
Celestial
Delights
The Harvest
Moon is the name given
to the Full Moon closest to the Autumnal Equinox therefore, the Harvest
Moon can occur in September or October.
This year it occurs September 26 at 12:45pm
PDT; 20:45 UT.
The Moon rises as the Sun is setting.
| A Full Moon near the autumn equinox lies low in the south along an ecliptic that forms a very shallow angle to the horizon. This results in the moon rising very quickly around the time of sunset ... also rising only 20 to 30 minutes between consecutive moonrises instead of the typical 50 minutes. Before electricity this additional light late into the evening allowed farmers more time to gather their harvest. For latitudes farther north the effect is more pronounced with less time between moonrises each night. It is not surprising that the name "Harvest Moon" originated in the northern European latitudes. |
 |
The Harvest Moon because of its closer angle to the horizon appears to loom extra large when it rises ... a well known illusion. In fact the moon is actually closer to the earth when it is highest in the sky!
 |
Try this experiment as you watch the moon rise from the horizon to overhead. Place your thumb and index finger a pencil width apart, at arm’s length. You should always be able to fit the moon between your fingers no matter where it is! The moon will always look bigger next to objects than when it is seen overhead in a dark sky. |
Harvest Moon Images: Michael Myers
... traditionally the Harvest Moon lasts more than one night. And includes the two almost full Moons two nights before the official full Moon and the two almost full Moons two nights after. So we have five nights of the Harvest Moon. Star Gazer 2005 script 9/12–18
September 27, Thursday, the Moon looms larger than usual. It is at perigee, closest to the Earth for this lunar cycle, 223,332 miles, at 6:54pm PDT; 01:54 UT 9/28. It is the third closest Full Moon of 2007. See the Lunar Perigee and Apogee Calculator to find out when the two closer Full Moons occur. BTW: Watch out for those high tides!
Click Moon Dances for a Star Map and Harvest Full Moon reflections.
May
your harvest be delicious and bountiful.
May it serve the greatest good!
I'd
like to know your thoughts about The Night Sky and
if you'd like reminders to Look Up! ...
send me an email.
May your Night Sky traveling always be filled
with Celestial Delights and Treats!
Susan Sun
Printable date table includes lunar cycle 9/11 - 10/10.
Sept. 23 - Oct. 22 Mercury can be seen hugging the southwestern horizon after sunset. The planet, positioned far in the south, gives a poor performance for Northern Hemisphere observers. Mercury reaches greatest elongation 9/29 and inferior conjunction 10/23. It sets in the beginning of Libra 50 minutes after the Sun around 7:50pm. Mercury lost in the Sun's glaring light, sets only 10 minutes after the Sun around 6:40pm by the end of Libra. Mercury is retrograde 10/12-10/31. Jupiter paired with Antares is sinking toward the southwestern horizon giving us roughly 2 1/2 hours viewing time. Jupiter's steady and brilliant yellowish glow contrasts with the twinkling reddish gleam of Antares positioned below and just west of the planet. Use binoculars to view the planet's 4 Galilean moons. Jupiter sets in the beginning of Libra around 10:30pm and by its end at 9:00pm. Mars now an evening planet, rises in the northeast at 11:15pm in the beginning of Libra and by its end at 10:30pm. The planet moves toward the south as the morning progresses. Mars lies near the feet of the Gemini Twins, as it moves toward a direct alignment with red Betelgeuse to the south. Map Look for the red triangle formed by Aldebaran, Mars and Betelgeuse; compare the color, brightness and size of each. 10/1-3 a waning Moon transits the triad, first aligning with Aldebaran, then Mars and finally Betelgeuse. Watch Mars grow redder, brighter and bigger as its distance from Earth decreases over the next few months. Mars is at its closest 12/18 and reaches opposition and peak brightness 12/24. Venus and Saturn are in a stiking predawn encounter along with Regulus, the brightest star in Leo the Lion. Venus, achieving greatest brilliancy 9/23 at magnitude -4.8, is stunning as it first approaches Regulus then Saturn from the west and finally passes both of them to the east. 10/7 a waning crescent Moon joins the trio near Saturn. Map Venus lies very near Saturn 10/13-14. In the beginning of Libra Venus rises at 3:45am followed by Saturn at 4:25am. By Libra's end Saturn rises at 3:15am followed by Venus at 3:30am. The Big Dipper is in the northwest as night falls. How many evening stars can you still find using Big Dipper Navigation? Its maximum navigation is shifting to the early morning hours. Vega is the brightest star overhead as night falls. It is the western point of the Summer Triangle and sets well after midnight. Altair is the triangle's southern point and Deneb the eastern point. The Milky Way sweeps through this triangle from teapot-shaped Sagittarius in the southwest to M or W-shaped Cassiopeia the northeast. The Keystone of Hercules is a fat, four star trapezoid or wedge located about a third of the way from Vega to Arcturus. Draco now lies to the north of Vega and Hercules. The Big Dipper is above this Dragon. Star Map Fomalhaut is the brightest star low on the southern horizon from 9:00pm to midnight. it is the Southern Royal Star and the brightest star in the constellation Pisces Austrinus below Aquarius. Star Map Capella is the bright star rising in the northeast about an hour and a half after sunset. Capella is the brightest star seen the most often. |
|
| Sept. 23 | Autumnal
Equinox 2:52am PDT; 9:52 UT. Morning Venus achieves greatest brilliancy at magnitude -4.8. Global Equinox Sunrise Meditation The Moon conjoins Neptune 12:09pm PDT; 19:09 UT Worldwide Sunset Didgeridoo Meditation Healing Our Oceans ~ Marine Meditation 8pm your time Golden Water Activation Meditation The waxing Gibbous Moon passes telescopic Neptune to the east. Can you spot Fomalhaut, the Southern Royal Star? |
| Sept. 24 | The growing Moon approaches telescopic Uranus from the west. |
| Sept. 25 | The Moon conjoins Uranus 8:44am PDT; 15:44 UT; it lies to the east of Uranus in the evening. |
| Sept. 26 | Full
Moon 12:45pm PDT; 19:45 UT. Full Moon Global Meditation |
| Sept. 27 | The Moon is at perigee (closest to the Earth at 223,332 miles) 6:54pm PDT; 01:54 UT 9/28. |
| Sept. 29/30 | Mercury
reaches greatest
elongation. This night, the waning Gibbous Moon rises around 8:30pm Saturday; it occults (hides) the Pleiades (M45) star cluster for observers in Northern Eurasia and Japan, Sunday 14:00 UT; 7:00am PDT. |
| Sept. 30 | The Moon rises around 9:20pm. It lies east of the Pleiades near Aldebaran. |
| Oct. 1-3 | View
12:00am-sunrise. The waning Moon transits the red triad aligning
to the north of each red celestial body, first Aldebaran, then
Mars and finally Betelgeuse. 10/3 Last Quarter Moon 3:05am PDT; 10:05 UT. |
| Oct. 4 | 50th anniversary of Sputnik. The satellite that set alight science ~ Sputnik 1 Spacecraft. |
| Oct. 4-10 |
World
Space Week: Fifty Years in Space!
|
| Oct. 6 | Oct.
6 This morning a waning
Crescent Moon lies above the Venus, Regulus and Saturn trio. The Moon conjoins Venus (and Regulus) 10:28pm PDT; 05:28 UT 10/7. |
| Oct. 7 | Thin
predawn Luna nestles near Saturn below the pairing of dazzling
Venus and blue-white Regulus. The Moon conjoins Saturn at 8:07am PDT; 15:07 UT. It occults (hides) the planet for observers south of Polynesia. |
| Oct. 8 | A predawn lunar sliver can be seen below the eye catching tight trio of Saturn, Venus, Regulus. |
| Oct. 9 | Predawn Venus passes south of Regulus. |
| Oct. 9/10 | Draconid meteor shower peaks this evening. Look toward the Big Dipper in the northwest after sunset. Also see Draco the Dragon. |
| Oct. 10 | New Moon 10:01pm PDT; 05:01 UT 10/11. |
| Oct. 12 | Mercury
is retrograde through 10/31. The Moon conjoins Mercury 5:30pm PDT; 00:30 UT 10/13. A thin Crescent Moon lies below Mercury low in the west-southwest just after sunset. |
| Oct. 13-14 | Predawn
Venus lies closest to Saturn. 10/13 The Moon is at apogee (farthest from the Earth at 252,582 miles) 2:51am PDT; 09:51 UT. Venus and Saturn are in exact conjunction 9:28pm PDT; 04:28 UT 10/14. 10/14 A waxing Crescent Moon lies northwest of Antares and Jupiter. |
| Oct. 15 | Predawn
Venus passes south of Saturn. The Moon conjoins Anatares 8:00am PDT; 15:00 UT . The Moon conjoins Jupiter 9:32pm PDT; 04:32 UT 10/16. |
| Oct. 16 | The Moon conjoins Pluto 5:32pm PDT; 00:32 UT 10/17. |
| Oct. 19 | First Quarter Moon 1:33am PDT; 08:33 UT. |
| Oct. 20 | The waxing Gibbous Moon conjoins Neptune 9:09pm PDT; 04:09 UT 10/21. |
| Oct. 21 | Orionid Meteors peak. Look southeast 2:00am and high in the south around 4:00am. |
| Oct. 22 | The growing Moon conjoins Uranus 5:59pm PDT; 00:59 UT 10/23. |
| Oct. 23 | Mercury reaches inferior conjunction. |
Getting
Started in Astronomy
Download
a free flyer of bimonthly star maps.
Link to Sky and Telescope's This Week's Sky at a Glance
Click here for NASA's solar weather report and more!
Printable
date table includes lunar cycle 9/11-10/10.
For a print-friendly
version of this page click
here.
|
Inspired? We invite you to participate! There
are several ways to |
The
Night Sky
The Planets
Night Sky Glossary
Libra Navigation Page
12 Zodiacal Deities
Choosing
a Telescope
Autumn
Equinox
Autumn
Equinox
Cosmology
~ Highlights
Legendary Journeys of
Hercules
Earthly Delights
Cosmology
Linkups~SouledOut.org's
Recommended Links
Glossary of Esoteric Terms & Phrases
SouledOut.org Site Map
SouledOut.org Home