Hello ...
Here's your Cosmic Pursuits newsletter for September 2025!
1. September brings a busy month in the heavens in the night sky. Venus lights up the eastern sky in the morning as brightening Jupiter lies higher and further west. Mars plunges towards the southwestern horizon after sunset. And Saturn emerges into the evening sky as it reaches opposition this month (as does Neptune). Deep-sky observers enjoy longer nights to enjoy the Milky Way and all its celestial
treasures. And the September equinox arrives to mark a change of seasons. Here's what to see in the Night Sky This Month...
AURORA
ALERT: Just before this email went out, an alert was issued for possible strong auroral displays in the northern and southern hemispheres on Sept. 1-2 as a result of a strong geomagnetic storm on Aug. 30. Look for aurorae at the usual latitudes in the northern and southern hemispheres. But this display may grow strong enough to move further south and north into well-populated areas of both hemispheres. Check Spaceweather.com for updates.
2. I’ve been enduring an unusual amount of cloud and rain this summer. So, what did I do on all these cloudy nights? I tried to ponder some bigger cosmic questions, starting with Einstein’s views on time, immortality, and the persistent illusion between the past, present, and future. All ideas worth contemplating, I hope you agree.
3. Speaking of Einstein, the James Webb Telescope captured a new and astonishing image of hundreds of galaxies from an immense galaxy cluster. It also shows dozens of etheral arcs of gravitationally lensed light from more
distant galaxies from the dawn of the universe. A stunning sight.
4. Want to participate in real scientific research? The team at the citizen science website Zooniverse launched a new study
that searches for nearby dwarf galaxies. More information at this link.
5. At least some lightning in our atmosphere, it turns out, may be triggered by exploding stars hundreds of light years away.
And the astronomy quote of the month - a little motivation for all of us to get out and see the night sky:
"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better."
- Albert Einstein
Please share this email with anyone who may be interested. If you're
not already a subscriber to Cosmic Pursuits, you can sign up here.
Wishing you clear skies!
Brian Ventrudo
Publisher
CosmicPursuits.com
