Venus and Saturn in same binocular field September 15 to September 21

Although Saturn shines as brilliantly as a first-magnitude star, Venus outshines Saturn by about 80 times. If you can’t see Saturn on these September evenings, try aiming binoculars at Venus to spot Saturn nearby. Venus and Saturn will occupy the same binocular field of view from about September 15 to September 21. Be sure to catch these two worlds as they come out at dusk and nightfall. As the Earth rotates eastward on its axis, Venus and Saturn (and the faint star Zubenelgenubi to the east of these planets) will sink westward, to set at early evening at mid-northern latitudes. At more southerly latitudes, these two planets and the star Zubenelgenubi stay out later after dark. At our northerly latitudes, we may need binoculars to see Zubenelgenubi.

From the Southern Hemisphere, sky watchers can also see the planet Mercury and the star Spica because of the steep tilt of the ecliptic in that part of the world

By the way, the bright waxing gibbous moon shines close to Neptune, the eighth planet outward from the sun. However, you’ll need an optical aid, probably a moon-free night and a detailed sky chart to find this faint world.


For the rest of this month, watch Venus and Saturn race eastward along the ecliptic – the pathway of the planets in front of the backdrop stars. Venus will catch up with the star Zubenelgenubi on September 24, 2013, but Saturn won’t reach this milestone until mid-November 2013. By that time, Saturn and Zubenelgenubi will have shifted into the eastern morning sky, to sit deep in the glow of dawn and probably not visible to the unaided eye. Swift-moving Venus will remain a fixture of the evening sky for the rest of this year. So watch for Venus to race by Saturn in the western evening sky over the next few days, starting today!



source and credit a earthsky

NOTA PERSONAL:

a simple vista se puede ver muy bien, aun recuerdo lo de la luna con venus. fue algo muy lindo de ver, incluso el clima era agradable, todo ayudaba, para poder estar de noche mirando hacia el cielo..

los que tengan telescopios, deberian aprovechar esta oportunidad , aunque con la contaminacion luminica de las ciudades poco se puede apreciar, lo mejor es irse en medio del campo, lejos de las luces de las ciudades..

saludos!