LISTEN to this week’s Sky Report
This is the Griffith Observatory Sky Report through September 26th, 2019. Here’s what’s happening in the skies of southern California.
Autumn begins in the northern hemisphere at 12:50 a.m. on the 23rd. This is called the September equinox and it also marks start of spring in the southern hemisphere. At this equinox, the combination of the tilt of Earth’s rotation axis with the planet’s revolution around the sun makes the sun appear to cross directly over the equator, moving south. On the equinox, the sun rises due east and sets due west, and it traces the position of the celestial equator during the day. Day and night then are each about 12 hours long. The fall season will end with the start of northern hemisphere winter on December 21.
The planets Jupiter and Saturn are visible in the southwest and south, respectively after sunset. Brilliant Jupiter outshines any star, and it is in front of the constellation Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer. Saturn appears similar to a bright star, and it is to the left of Jupiter and also to the left of the teapot-shaped constellation Sagittarius the Archer. Jupiter sets in the west-southwest at about 10:30 p.m., followed two hours later by Saturn.
The moon wanes from gibbous to crescent and it is last quarter on the 21st. It rises at 10:20 p.m. on the 19th and at 4:08 a.m. on the 26th.
The International Space Station will pass over Los Angeles on Saturday evening, the 21st. It will easily outshine Jupiter as it crosses the sky while traveling from the west-southwest to the northeast between 7:16 and 7:22 p.m. The ISS will appear at its highest when it reaches 56 degrees above the northwest horizon at 7:19 p.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. 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, October 5 between 2:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Follow The Sky Report, All Space Considered, and Griffith Observatory on Twitter for updates on astronomy and space-related events.
From Griffith Observatory, I’m Anthony Cook, and I can be reached at griffithobserver@gmail.com.