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This is the Griffith Observatory Sky Report for the period between September 1 and September 30, 2024. Here are the events happening in the sky of southern California.

Mercury rises in the east at 5:07 a.m., PDT, on the 1^st, and the sun rises at 6:27 a.m., PDT, one hour 20 minutes later. On the 18^th, Mercury rises at 5:49 a.m., PDT, and the sun rises at 6:39 a.m., PDT, 50 minutes later. From the 18^th on, Mercury will be too close to the sun to observe safely. The planet’s disk is six arcseconds wide. This, combined with its position near the sun, makes it very difficult to observe. Do not observe any planet when it comes close to the sun, for the danger to the eyes is great.

Venus sets in the west at 8:25 p.m., PDT, on the 1^st, and the sun sets at 7:18 p.m., PDT. On the 30^th, the sun sets at 6:38 p.m., PDT, and Venus sets in the west-northwest at 8:02 p.m., PDT. The planet’s disk is 88-percent illuminated and 12 arcseconds wide.

Mars is in Taurus the Bull. On the 1^st, Mars rises in the east-northeast at 12:49 a.m., PDT. On the 30^th, Mars rises at 12:08 a.m., PDT. The planet is 88-percent illuminated and seven arcseconds wide, and so a telescope with a magnification of over 200x is required to see anything on its disk. Mars next reaches opposition in January, 2025.

Jupiter is in Taurus the Bull. On the 1^st, Jupiter rises in the east-northeast at 12:15 a.m., PDT. On the 30^th, Jupiter rises at 10:26 p.m., PDT. The planet is 40 arcseconds wide. A magnification of 50x will show the Red Spot, and the four bright Galilean moons can be seen moving back and forth, across and behind Jupiter.

Saturn is in Aquarius the Water Bearer. On the 1^st, Saturn rises in the east at 7:37 p.m., PDT. On the 30^th, Saturn rises at 5:38 p.m., PDT. On the 7^th, Saturn reaches opposition, the position in the sky that is opposite from the sun as seen from earth. The planet will be closest to the earth on that date. The rings and Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, can be seen with a telescope capable of magnification 50x.

Uranus is in Taurus the Bull. On the 1^st, the planet rises in the east-northeast at 10:48 p.m., PDT. On the 30^th, Uranus rises at 8:53 p.m., PDT. On the 15^th, Uranus is at Right Ascension 3^h 39^m 51^s and declination +19° 16ʹ 13ʺ. A magnification of 150x or more is needed to see the planet’s 3.7-arcsecond disk.

Neptune is in Pisces the Fishes. On the 1^st, Neptune rises in the east at 8:07 p.m., PDT. On the 30^th, Neptune rises at 6:11 p.m., PDT. On the 15^th, Neptune is at Right Ascension 23^h 57^m 16^s and declination -1° 44ʹ 25ʺ. On the 20^th, Neptune reaches opposition, the point in its orbit when it is opposite the sun as seen from earth. A magnification of 150x or more is needed to see the planet’s 2.3-arcsecond disk.

New moon occurs on the 2^nd, first quarter on the 10^th, full moon on the 17^th, and last quarter on the 24^th.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Autumn begins and summer ends when the sun reaches the autumnal equinox on September 22 at 5:44 a.m., PDT. At this moment, the sun crosses the celestial equator from north to south on its journey along the ecliptic. The sun rises at 6:42 a.m., PDT, and sets at 6:49 p.m., PDT. The day is 12 hours and seven minutes long. The days will continue to grow shorter, and the nights get longer, until the sun reaches the winter solstice on December 21.

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