Night Sky: Visible planets, galaxies, and more highlights for September

September 2, 2023 | Island Features | By: Gerry Lebing

There are four deep-space objects worth looking for in September!

This is the Western Veil Nebula, NGC 6960. With a visual magnitude of +5.00, you might think it would be easy to see with the naked eye. But in reality, it’s difficult to see unless you’re using an OIII filter on a telescope.

The Western Veil was discovered by William Herschel in 1784. It’s believed to be about 2,000 light-years away from us.

This picture contains three galaxies. The largest one is M31, the Andromeda Galaxy. The small galaxy above it is M31 and the one below it is M110. All three are about 2.5 million light years away from us, and were discovered in 964 BC by Persian astronomer Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi, who called it a “little cloud.” On clear, calm nights you can observe the M31 with your naked eye.

M32 has a visual magnitude of +7.92 and M110’s is +8.09. M32 was discovered by Guillaume Joseph Le Gentil in 1749. Charles Messier included both M32 and M110 in a sketch he called “Andromeda’s Great Nebula”. He cataloged both M31 and M32, but did not acknowledge M110, even though it was clearly in his drawing. In 1966, Kenneth G. Jones added M110 to the Messier catalog.

What you can look for in September’s Night Skies

Saturn and Neptune are visible in the eastern skies shortly after sundown. Jupiter will rise at about 10:30 p.m. Uranus will follow it about 15 minutes later. Remember, Saturn and Jupiter can be viewed with the naked eye (if the skies are clear), but you’ll need a good pair of binoculars or a telescope to see Uranus and Neptune.

Venus will rise at 4:30 a.m. and will be visible until sunrise.

There are no major meteor showers in September.

Both the Veil Nebula and Andromeda Galaxy are visible in the evening skies.

Moon Phases: