Here’s what we can see coming up this month plus, NASA Wallops will have another rocket launch we will be able to see at the end of September!
Have you gone outside lately and looked up? There’s a lot going on in our night sky, so let me show you what to look for in our September Sky!
With our sun setting before 8 p.m. this time of year, our nights are getting longer, which makes it a little easier to see Jupiter and Saturn. These planets are going to appear to collide in December, so this month, take a look after sunset to the south and you’ll see Saturn on the left and Jupiter, the brighter objects to the right.
If you have a telescope or hear of a nearby star party, make sure you look at Saturn, it’s showing off all of its rings.
September is a quiet month for Meteor showers, the next show will be the Orionids in early October.
Northrup Grumman and NASA Wallops are again teaming up for another resupply mission to the International Space Station later this month. The launch is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 10:26 p.m. While the visitor center will be closed, viewing this launch up and down the east coast will be a breeze. If our skies are clear throughout the region that night, it will be easy to see the rocket. However, I recommend going to a NE facing beach to see the rocket lift-off from Wallops. As the launch date gets closer, look forward to more updates!
In the meantime, enjoy Saturn, Jupiter, Mars and Venus in our nighttime sky.
Meteorologist Jeff Edmondson