The brand new moon occurs tonight (Sept. 14) at 9:40 p.m. EDT (0140 UTC on Sept 15), per the U.S. Naval Observatory.
Earth’s natural satellite just swung by Mercury on Wednesday (Sept. 13), and it can have an encounter with Mars two days from now.
Recent moons occur when the moon is between the sun and Earth, which happens about every 29.5 days. Indeed, the word “month” is derived from “moon,” and the length of a lunar cycle is why many calendars, including the one we use today, have 30-day months.
Related: Recent moon calendar 2023: When is the following recent moon?
Technically, the moon and Earth share the identical celestial longitude, an alignment called a conjunction. Celestial longitude is a projection of Earth’s own longitude lines on the sky; during recent moons, in case you drew a line from the pole star due south through the sun, it will hit the moon. Because the illuminated side of the moon faces away from Earth, recent moons are invisible to ground-based observers, unless the moon passes directly in front of the sun, which creates a solar eclipse.
That will not occur this month — the following solar eclipse is due on Oct. 14 of this 12 months and will likely be visible within the western U.S., Mexico, Central America and northern South America. The rationale eclipses don’t occur every month is that the moon’s orbit is inclined to the plane of Earth’s orbit by about 5 degrees, so the moon doesn’t line up perfectly with the sun each cycle.
The timing of lunar phases is set by time zone (or longitude), since it is measured on the moon’s position relative to Earth somewhat than your position on Earth’s surface. Due to this fact, the time of the brand new moon is 6:40 p.m. in Los Angeles, 2:40 a.m. in Paris, and 10:40 a.m. in Tokyo.
On Wednesday, the moon passed near the planet Mercury within the predawn sky; the moon was together with the solar system‘s innermost planet and was about 6 degrees north of it. (Your clenched fist held at arm’s length covers about 10 degrees of sky.) Nonetheless, the pair were very near the horizon, and the actual moment of conjunction wasn’t visible from the U.S.; it happened at 1:41 p.m. local time, and the very thin crescent moon was too near the sun to look at easily (or safely — you ought to be very careful when making any observations near the sun when it’s above the horizon. Any optical aid reminiscent of binoculars may cause retinal burns and everlasting damage to your vision).
After the brand new moon, on Saturday (Sept. 16), at 3:20 p.m. EDT, Recent York City observers will see the moon make a detailed pass to Mars, passing inside 39 arcminutes of the planet. That is just over half a level, or one lunar diameter. As with the Mercury conjunction, it can be in the course of the day, so the pair won’t be readily visible until the evening. Though the moment of conjunction could have passed, the sun sets at 7:03 p.m., and at that time the moon will likely be a skinny crescent about 8 degrees above the western horizon. Mars will likely be just barely below and to the best of the moon, at slightly below 8 degrees high. The moon and Mars still won’t be easy to identify unless you might have a transparent western horizon freed from any buildings or tall trees. Each set by about 7:49 p.m. local time.
Farther south, the moon and Mars will likely be easier to see. In Miami, the sun sets at 7:24 p.m. EDT on Sept. 16 and the moon and Mars will likely be 11 degrees above the western horizon on the time, so there will likely be more time to select them out against the darkening sky. Each objects set at about 8:20 p.m.
Within the Southern Hemisphere, the positions of the moon and Mars appear “switched” — the day-old moon will likely be simply to the best of Mars, versus the left. In Buenos Aires, the sun sets on Sept. 16 at 6:46 p.m. Argentine Standard Time, and the moon will likely be about 6.5 degrees above the western horizon. The pair sets at about 8:15 p.m. local time, and the sky needs to be dark enough that with a flat horizon and clear conditions you possibly can see the 2.
Visible planets
Besides the conjunctions, other planets will grace the skies on the night of the brand new moon itself. While Mercury and Mars will each be lost within the solar glare, Saturn will likely be visible effectively for all the night of Sept. 14-15, because the planet rises at 6:22 p.m. EDT on the latitude of Recent York City, 45 minutes before sunset. (Times are from calculations by the U.S. Naval Observatory.) The ringed planet is within the constellation Aquarius, a comparatively faint group of stars, so it can stand out because the sky darkens.
Saturn will reach its maximum altitude at about 11:45 p.m., when it is a few 37 degrees above the southern horizon, and can set at 5:08 a.m. local time within the southwest. Southern Hemisphere observers will see the planet much higher within the sky; in Cape Town, Saturn rises at 4:57 p.m. local time, while the sun sets at 6:37 p.m. The planet will reach peak altitude at 11:32 p.m. local time, getting a full 68 degrees above the northern horizon.
The following planet you will note is Jupiter, which in Recent York rises at 9:17 p.m. local time. Jupiter will get higher within the sky than Saturn; in Recent York, it can hit an altitude of 64 degrees at 4:13 a.m. on Sept. 15 as you look due south. From Cape Town, Jupiter will likely be lower within the sky, hitting 41 degrees above the northern horizon at 4:04 a.m.
Venus will likely be a morning star, rising at 3:48 a.m. in Recent York on Sept. 15. Venus is the third-brightest object within the sky after the sun and moon, so it is well recognizable. By sunrise (which is at 6:36 a.m.) the planet will likely be 32 degrees above the eastern horizon; it is usually certainly one of the last celestial objects visible as day breaks. Within the Southern Hemisphere, the planet rises towards the northeast; in Cape Town it can rise at 4:40 a.m., and sunrise is at 6:46 a.m. local time. Venus is within the constellation Cancer. Cancer is a faint grouping of stars that’s difficult to see from urban areas, so Venus will stand out.
Constellations
In mid September, by about 9 p.m., the Summer Triangle — an asterism made up of the celebs Deneb, Altair and Vega — is sort of directly overhead in northern mid-latitudes. It’s recognizable, because the three stars are vivid enough to see even in a city location. Altair, the “eye” of Aquila, the Eagle, is the southernmost a part of the triangle; you possibly can imagine it because the “bottom” tip of a triangle pointing south. (Additionally it is quite high within the sky within the contiguous United States; in Bellingham, Washington, it’s about 50 degrees high at 9 p.m. local time, whereas in Miami it’s about 70 degrees above the horizon).
From Altair, you possibly can look straight up and see Deneb on the left and Vega on the best to finish the Triangle. Deneb is the tail of the constellation Cygnus, the Swan, and Vega is the brightest star in Lyra, the Lyre. Cygnus forms a cross shape and it is usually called the Northern Cross; in case you follow the long axis of the cross roughly toward Altair, you reach the star Sadr, the middle of the cross, after which Albireo, the “head” of the Swan.
Drawing a line between Vega and Deneb and lengthening it toward the northeastern horizon, you find yourself between Cassiopeia and Pegasus. Cassiopeia is simpler to acknowledge; it’s a compact “W” shape centered about 30 degrees up and facing left (north), so it looks just like the number 3. To the best of Cassiopeia is a big square of stars with one corner toward the horizon; that is the Great Square.
The Great Square is an asterism that’s made up of two constellations, Pegasus and Andromeda. Andromeda starts on the left corner; it’s two lines of stars that reach to the left (roughly northward). From Andromeda’s head, you possibly can trace two lines of stars and find the Andromeda galaxy, which could be spotted from a dark-sky site with the naked eye. The opposite three stars form the wing of Pegasus, the legendary winged horse of Perseus, the hero, who could be seen just clearing the horizon below Cassiopeia.
Within the western half of the sky, you possibly can see Sagittarius; it can be near the horizon within the south. Scorpius will likely be mostly set, though the guts of the Scorpion, Antares, remains to be just high enough to see if the horizon is obvious of obstructions; it is just about 10 degrees high. Above Scorpius, you possibly can see Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer. To search out it, search for Antares, after which go upward from the horizon; you must see a big rectangle of fainter stars with the short side horizontal. That is the body of Ophiuchus, and above the rectangle is a star that makes an “A frame” shape, which is his head. Ophiuchus is usually called the thirteenth constellation of the Zodiac, since the constellation’s modern borderlines mean that planets often go through it.
For those within the Southern Hemisphere, some planets which can be low within the sky in mid-northern latitudes are much higher. On the night of Sept. 17, for instance, the brand new moon occurs at 10 p.m. Australian Eastern Standard Time. At that time, Mars will likely be about 15 degrees above the horizon, Jupiter 58 degrees above the horizon and Saturn 63 degrees up. Jupiter sets at 3:06 a.m. local time, whereas Saturn sets 29 minutes later.
Constellations visible within the Southern Hemisphere on Sept. 14 at about 9 p.m. local time will include the Southern Cross, Centaurus the Centaur and the Southern Fish. From mid-southern latitudes reminiscent of Cape Town or Santiago, Chile, or Melbourne, Australia, The Southern Cross (officially called Crux) is within the southwest, about 26 degrees above the horizon. It is a compact group, and the “bottom” of the cross, marked by Acrux, faces toward the Southern Celestial Pole. Above the Cross are two vivid stars; the primary one (as you progress upward) is Hadar, and the second is Rigil Kentaurus, otherwise often known as Alpha Centauri. These are sometimes taken to be the front hooves or legs of the Centaur.
Turning toward the southeast (to the left), you will note a vivid star that at 9 p.m. local time will likely be a bit below the altitude of the Cross. (Imagine drawing a straight horizontal line almost halfway across the sky.) That is Achernar, the top of Eridanus, the River. The River extends below the horizon — the remaining of it doesn’t rise until later — but the opposite end is near the foot of Orion. If you happen to proceed turning left (toward the east) you encounter Fomalhaut, the brightest star in Piscis Austrinus, the Southern Fish.
Turning northward, you possibly can see the Summer Triangle, but from below the equator it’s “the wrong way up,” with Vega closer to the horizon, about 15 to twenty degrees high depending in your latitude, with Altair above and to the best. Deneb is tough to see from the southern latitudes; it can be to the best of Vega but only just a few degrees above the horizon. Within the high western sky, you possibly can spot an the wrong way up Scorpius, which within the southern skies faces toward the horizon and is far higher, with Antares about 56 degrees high in case you’re on the latitude of Santiago, Chile.