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.

Although summer nights are bright here in Nordic countries, the brightest stars can still be observed. Examples of those observable bright stars are Regulus, Arcturus and Spica. Also Vega, Deneb and Altair can be seen well. Although it might be a bit more difficult to find Antares, it can be observed in early morning.

Which planets can be observed in May 2008? There are four observable planets in the nightsky in May 2008. Mercury, Mars and Saturn can be observed in early night, while Jupiter is best observed in early morning. Mercury can be seen in late evening in South-West. Mars is located in constellation Gemini in early May, but will move to Cancer in May 5th. It is not easy to locate Mars in May because the planet is not very bright at this time. Saturn is located in constellation Leo and close to Regulus. Saturn can be seen between West and South-West directions. Jupiter is located in constellation Sagittarius and can be seen in South-East direction in early morning. Jupiter is pretty easy to find in May because it is very bright.

How about the Moon? Is there going to be anything interesting happening with the compagnion of the Earth? Below is a list of the most interesting upcoming events with the Moon in May 2008.

May 6th: Located close to Aldebaran, Mercury and Pleiades
May 10th-11th: Located close to Castor, Pollux and Mars
May 12th-13th: Located close to Regulus and Saturn
May 16th-17th: Located close to Spica
May 20th: Full moon at 5:11 am (Helsinki, Finland)
May 20th-21st: Located close to Antares
May 24th-25th: Located close to Jupiter

This is the nightsky situation in May 2008. Although nights here in northern side of the northern hemisphere are not anymore as dark as in mid winter, many interesting stars and planets can still be observed in May. Enjoy the warm spring and have great stargazing nights!