2017 Week 38: (September 17-23)

The weather is cooling down and Fall approaches this week.  The Autumnal Equinox occurs this Friday as the Sun crosses back over the celestial equator to southerly declinations.  The morning sky at the beginning of the week has a traffic jam on the ecliptic.  Venus, Regulus, Mars, Mercury and the Moon all pile up like it is rush hour.

Date	Event
September 17	Venus 0.5°N of Moon
September 17	Regulus 0.1°S of Moon
September 18	Mars 0.1°S of Moon
September 18	Mercury 0.03°N of Moon
September 19	Venus 0.5°N of Regulus
September 19	New Moon
September 22	Jupiter 4°S of Moon
September 22	Equinox

The best time to see the major conjunction will be the early hours of Sunday or Monday.  Head out around 6-7am before the Sun rises.  Look toward the eastern horizon.  Venus will be easily visible as it will be slightly dimmer than the Moon just above it.  Below Venus will be the Alpha star of Leo (Regulus) which should be visible to the naked eye.  Below Regulus you should be able to see Mercury with your naked eye.  Mars is sitting quite far away from us right now and will probably only be visible with optical aid.  Mars will sit in the same field of view as Mercury for a moderately sized telescope as it is only half a degree away.  A sky map is presented below.

Morning Sky East (September 18, 2017)

As you can see from the image above, the Leo triplet sits right next to Mercury and Mars.  I'd like to challenge anyone to find that in the twilight sky.  Please, however, take the chance to witness Mercury.  It only visibly hangs out in the urban morning sky for around a week before it makes its way to superior conjunction with the Sun early in October.

After conjunction city at the beginning of the week we move into more mundane sights in the sky.  Jupiter will be in conjunction with the Moon on Friday with both fitting into the same field of view with any typical pair of binoculars.  This would be a good trip to a ridge that overlooks the western sky.  The sunset will be amazing and followed by a moonset with Jupiter.  Friday Date Night!  Impress your date with your astronomy skillz!  I'm Sirius.

Backing up to Tuesday the Moon will be New.  So ends the lunar cycle that was kicked off with an amazing eclipse!  Back to another boring lunar cycle.

Friday will usher in the beginning of Fall as the Sun cruises across the celestial equator to brighten the lives of southern hemispherians.  With Fall comes the cooler weather but darker skies.  Keep your eyes in the sky as Aquarius and Pisces can be seen.  Currently they are the local habitat of Neptune and Uranus and, with the right equipment, you can see them for yourself!