Hello ...
Here's your Cosmic Pursuits newsletter for September 2024!
1. Saturn and Neptune reach opposition in September, Mercury makes its best appearance in the morning sky for 2024, and Mars lies among the bright stars of Gemini as it brightens and grows bigger. The seasons take a turn, the Full Harvest Moon arrives. And though it’s not visible until at least month’s end, a promising reaches perihelion on its way (hopefully) to a great show in October. Here's what to see in the Night Sky This Month...
2. While its name is a mouthful, Comet C/2023 (A3) Tshuchinshan-ATLAS has remained intact and continues its journey toward the Sun and its close approach to Earth. The comet
may very well put on a spectacular show starting in late September and into October. Here's a short guide to help you know when and where to see it in the coming weeks.
3. Saturn reaches opposition on the night of Sept. 7-8 and remains
primed for observing now and in the next few months. It will look a little different this year with its rings tilted close to edge-on, but the planet is always a pleasure to observe in a small telescope. Here's your guide to observing Saturn for 2024.
4.
Take a tour of the magnificent Veil Nebula at my (still experimental) Substack site (and subscribe if you like - articles are sporadic but I hope to keep things going here if there's enough interest).
5. Finally, as a result of budget cuts, it's sadly the end of the road for the 'cosmic restaurant' at the Mount Palomar Observatory (gift link from the New York Times).
And the astronomy quote of the month, for comet and
cat lovers everywhere...
“Comets are like cats: they have tails, and they do precisely what they want.”
- David H. Levy
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Wishing you clear skies!
Brian
Ventrudo
Publisher
CosmicPursuits.com
