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This is the Griffith Observatory Sky Report through September 7th, 2016. Here’s what’s happening in the skies of southern California.
The brightest planet, Venus, is visible above the western horizon starting about 30 minutes after sunset. Venus will gradually move higher in the sky over the next few months.
A bright trio of objects is eye-catching in the south-southwest as twilight deepens. The bright orange object on the left is the planet Mars, while on the right the bright planet Saturn appears about six degrees above the star Antares of the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. Saturn’s spectacular rings are a rewarding sight through most telescopes. Through a telescope, Mars looks small but noticeably gibbous, its phase similar to that of the moon three days before full.
The moon is new on the morning of September 1st and it will appear in the evening sky next to Venus as a waxing crescent on the 3rd. The time of moonset changes from 7:38 p.m. on the 3rd to 10:26 p.m. on the 6th.
The most distant planet of the solar system, Neptune, will be at opposition–the position in the sky directly opposite the sun– in the constellation Aquarius the Water Bearer on the night of September 2nd. It is then also at its closest to earth and is 30.1 astronomical units, or 2.8 billion miles away, the distance that light travels in four hours. Neptune is visible through a telescope all night and is highest at 1:00 a.m. Even at high magnification, Neptune’s pale blue disk appears extremely small. The Free Star Charts website provides finder charts for Neptune and the other planets.
The International Space Station will pass high over Los Angeles during dawn on Sunday, September 4th. The ISS will cross the sky from the southwest to the northeast between 5:38 and 5:44 a.m., PDT, and it passes overhead at 5:41 a.m.
Free views of the sun during the day and of the moon, planets, and other celestial objects at night are available to the public in clear weather through Griffith Observatory’s telescopes from Tuesday through Sunday, before 9:30 p.m. Because of heavy traffic, we advise arriving in the afternoon! Check our website for the schedule. The next free public star party on the grounds of Griffith Observatory, hosted by the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, the Sidewalk Astronomers, and the Planetary Society, will take place on Saturday, September 10.
Follow the Sky Report on Twitter for updates of astronomy and space-related events.
From Griffith Observatory, I’m Anthony Cook, and I can be reached at griffithobserver@gmail.com.