September: Autumn equinox marks new season

September is not the most active month for stargazers but it does deliver the autumn equinox ushering in the new season.

To start, September 10 is the arrival of the Harvest Moon. Like all full moons, this was named by Native Americans for its timing alongside the autumn harvest.

Soon after Neptune is in opposition, making its closest approach to Earth while fully illuminated by the sun. Due to the extreme distance though it will only be visible in very powerful telescopes.

On September 22 autumn arrives! The Autumn equinox officially marks the start of astrological autumn and occurs at 9:04 p.m. ET.

At the equinox, the sun will shine directly on the equator giving us an, almost, equal number of hours of day and night. In the southern hemisphere, this is the spring equinox.

From this point on, in the Northern Hemisphere, daylight hours will start to fade until the Winter Solstice, thanks to the Earth’s the North Pole tilting away from the Sun.

The month is rounded out by a new moon on September 25 offering dark skies perfect for those wanting to see fainter objects in the night sky.

A day later on September 26, Jupiter is in opposition making it brighter than any other time of the year and visible all night long. Unlike Neptune, Jupiter should be visible in most telescopes and even some binoculars.