Before going through the planets we can be seen in northern hemisphere in September 2008,let’s narrow the scope by stating which planets CANNOT be seen in September 2008. Those are

- Mercury

- Pluto

- Mars

- Venus

So, we have four planets left we can observe in September. Let’s go them through next.

Planets in northern hemisphere in September 2008

Jupiter can be seen in early night in constellation Sagittarius. Direction is South-West, low above the horizon. If you wish to observe Jupiter, start immediately after the sunset, because Jupiter fades away around midnight.

For those who wake up early, I recommend observing Saturn which rises up on eastern sky early morning. Saturn is a very interesting planet to observe because of its awesome disks, so check out the weather forecast, and if it looks good, wake up early and go out to observe Saturn.

Neptune can also be seen in northern hemisphere in September 2008. Turn your telescope towards constellation Capricornus on early night. Neptune is pretty dim, so you really need a telescope or at least binoculars to see it.

Uranus is the fourth planet one can observe in northern hemisphere in September 2008. Uranus is located in constellation Aquarius, and it was in opposition just two days ago (13.9. in Helsinki). This means that Uranus was located directly in South at midnight. Uranus is also a dim planet, so you should use at least binoculars. Sometimes Uranus can be seen with the naked eye.

So, these four planets you can observe in northern hemisphere in September 2008. Additionally I would like to remind you that Saturn will be located close to the Moon on 27.9. Planets and stars are not going to meet during September 2008.

Notice also that few days ago I wrote about the stars in northern hemisphere in September 2008.

So, what can we see right now up on the sky? Which stars can be seen in northern hemisphere in September 2008? Let’s spend a moment and find out. This article provides you few skywatching tips for September 2008.

Before we go to my stargazing tips of September 2008, I would like to remind you that Homeboy’s Astronomy Blog will again write articles more frequently as the skywatching season has began. So, stay tuned and read our articles almost daily from now on. Notice also out RSS feed and automatic email updates.

Stars in northern hemisphere in September 2008

September is great time to observe the Milky Way. Try to find as dark place as possible, and watch directly upwards. Recognizing the Milky Way is not easy, but if you are lucky, you can see it in the direction of constellations Deneb and Cassiopeia.

In September you can also observe the stars of so called Summer Triangle, which can be seen shining bright on southern sky. On right side you can see Vega, while Deneb is located on left side. In between those two is Altair. Although this picture is from July, the sky looks much like this.

One very interesting star you can watch in September is pretty bright Arcturus. You can see Arcturus in West, while another interesting star Capella is located in North-East.

Moon and stars in northern hemisphere in September 2008

Moon and stars have few interesting “meetings” in September 2008. See the dates below.

20/21.9. – Moon close to Aldebaran
23/24.9. – Moon close to Castor ja Pollux
26.9. – Moon close to Regulus (almost morning)
20.9. – Pleiades covered by the Moon (almost morning)

Andromeda’s galaxy in September 2008

Probably the most interesting target for skywatching in September 2008 is the distant and beautiful galaxy of Andromeda. Although it is not easy to observe Andromeda, it is a fascinating target. If you are new to skywatching, please notice that Andromeda is not as visual target as planets, for example. Andromeda is very far from us, so we cannot see it that well. As you watch Andromeda, think about how far it is from us. The light you see when watching Andromeda, has started its journey 3 million years ago. In those days the very first humans watched the night sky somewhere deep in Africa. Isn’t it amazing? This is one of the reasons why I am so interested in astronomy. It’s awesome.