The month begins with Venus and Jupiter shining brightly on the eastern dawn horizon. On Monday, Jupiter and the Beehive (M44, Praesepe) lie within the field of 7 x 50 binoculars and should prove to be a splendid sight. As the month progresses, the two planets move in opposite directions, until midmonth when Venus drops below the horizon, into the rising sun’s glare.
On Monday, Saturn and Mars sit near the southwest horizon in Libra. On Sept. 28, Saturn and the waxing crescent moon are separated by less than 3 degrees. By midmonth, Saturn disappears below the horizon about 10 p.m.
On Sept. 29, Mars lies only 6 degrees below the waxing crescent moon. Mercury remains hidden in the sun’s brilliance all month.
Uranus lies within 2 degrees of the nearly full moon on Sept. 10. With the moon centered in your binoculars, Uranus will be at about 2 o’clock, halfway between the moon and the edge of the field. The moon’s radiance may blot out the pale green dot of the planet, and you may have to shift the moon out of the field to see Uranus, at magnitude 5.7.
You may be able to spot Comet Jacques (C/2014 E2) on Thursday. Look for a fuzzy spot about 3 degrees north of Deneb, the tail star of Cygnus, the Swan.
The autumnal equinox occurs on Sept. 23, when the sun is at the zenith over the equator, and day and night are of nearly equal duration.
Q&A
Q: I hear that a solar eclipse will happen soon. When and where can I see it? — J.R., Akron
A: A partial solar eclipse will occur on Oct. 23.
Find a clear view of the horizon, as the sun is only 8 degrees above the horizon when the moon will begin to intrude upon the sun’s disk at 5:45 p.m. As the sun drops below the horizon at 6:30, the moon occludes only about 20 percent of the solar surface.
Be aware that a partial eclipse is difficult to observe safely. At no time is the sun totally covered, and you will need appropriate eye protection throughout the eclipse. Plan ahead and find a source of Eclipse Glasses on the Internet. They should be inexpensive, so don’t try welder’s glasses or smoked glass. Save them for the total eclipse coming up in April 2024.
The times noted above are for the Canton area.
Program
The Hoover-Price Planetarium is presenting The Universe at Large, our ongoing program for 2014. Along with the current sky, we will be presenting and updating material to reflect new discoveries, astronomical events and NASA’s ventures. This format provides us with more flexibility to respond to questions.
The program will be shown at 1 p.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. The planetarium is included with admission to the McKinley Presidential Library & Museum.
David L. Richards is director of the Hoover-Price Planetarium at the McKinley Presidential Library and Museum, 800 McKinley Monument Drive NW, Canton, OH 44708, www.mckinleymuseum.org. He can be reached at 330-455-7043 or email hooverpriceplanetarium@hotmail.com.
