Originally published by Sea and Sky.
September 11 – New Moon: The Moon will located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 03:27 UTC. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.
September 23 – September Equinox: The September equinox occurs at 00:06 UTC. The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. This is also the first day of fall (autumnal equinox) in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of spring (vernal equinox) in the Southern Hemisphere.
September 26 – Full Moon: The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 16:50 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Corn Moon because the corn is harvested around this time of year. This moon is also known as the Harvest Moon. The Harvest Moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the September equinox each year.
September 25 – Neptune at Opposition: The blue giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long. This is the best time to view and photograph Neptune. Due to its extreme distance from Earth, it will only appear as a tiny blue dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.
Astronomy Essentials Full Moon Names by the Month and by the Season
What are the full moon names? Cultures across the world have given special names to full moons, and this practice is very much alive in North America. Some almanacs assign full moon names by the month. On the other hand, other almanacs like to reference full moons relative to seasonal markers, as defined by equinoxes and solstices. Is one way better than the other? No. Both have their roots in folklore. Also, lists of full moon names vary widely coming from different regions and cultures....
Deep Partial Lunar Eclipse Overnight Tonight!
People in Africa, Europe, most of the Americas, and the eastern Pacific Ocean will see a deep lunar eclipse overnight on August 27-28, 2026. The eclipse won’t be total. But it’ll be nearly total, with 96% of the moon within the Earth’s dark umbral shadow at mid-eclipse. Lunar eclipses are a whole-Earth event. But you must be in nighttime when the eclipse happens, in order to see it. The half of Earth facing the full moon – that is, the whole half of Earth that’s in nighttime – will see the...
Astronomy Essentials Deep Partial Lunar Eclipse on August 27-28, 2026
People in Africa, Europe, Scandinavia, Iceland, parts of Greenland, Antarctica, most of the Americas and eastern Pacific Ocean will see a deep lunar eclipse overnight on August 27-28, 2026. The eclipse won’t be total. But it’ll be nearly total, with 96% of the moon within the Earth’s dark umbral shadow at mid-eclipse. Lunar eclipses are a whole-Earth event. But you must be in nighttime when the eclipse happens, in order to see it. The half of Earth facing the full moon – that is, the whole...
What is the Milky Way? It’s our home galaxy
Do you think of the Milky Way as a starry band across a dark night sky? Or do you think of it as a great spiral galaxy in space? Both are correct. Both refer to our home galaxy, our local island in the vast ocean of the universe, composed of hundreds of billions of stars, one of which is our Sun. Long ago, it was possible for everybody in the world to see a dark, star-strewn sky when they looked heavenward at night. In those ancient times, humans looked to the starry sky and saw a ghostly band...
Visible Planets and Night Sky Guide for July
June 6, Earth will reach its farthest point from the sun in its orbit. But it’s summer in the Northern Hemisphere! How can that be? Plus, a big asteroid passed close to Earth last last weekend. Should we worry? July 6: Earth at aphelion July evening planets: Northern Hemisphere view July morning planets: Northern Hemisphere view July 7: Watch for the 3rd quarter moon July 7 and 8 mornings: Moon near Saturn July 10 and 11 mornings: Moon near Aldebaran, Mars and the Pleiades...
Rocket Launches can sometimes be seen in Garrett County. Especially those from Wallops Island.
