Mars, the only planet whose surface we can see in any detail from the Earth, is now moving toward the best viewing position it will provide to us until the year 2014. Planet watchers have already begun readying their telescopes.
Mars at 5 a.m. local time from mid-northern latitudes, late September to late October 2007.
The Southern Hemisphere Spring Equinox occurs on September 23 at 09:51 pm. Technically this is one of the two points on the celestial sphere where the celestial equator intersects the ecliptic, but put simply, it is when the Sun returns from the Northern Hemisphere back into the Southern Hemisphere.
At this time of year, the length of the day is increasing by about 3 minutes a day, which is the greatest increase in the year - Brian Carter, Senior Astronomer at Carter Observatory.
A few lucky people watched the partial Solar Eclipse on September 11, 2007 at 12:44 pm GMT The Partial Solar Eclipse was visible from South America, specifically Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Antarctica.
Uranus (YOOR'-uh-nuss) is the second most distant planet in our solar system. Although it's 2 billion miles away, and quite faint, you actually can see this planet naked-eye. This week is a good time to look for Uranus the planet is now at its biggest and brightest for the entire year. People had been studying the heavens for millennia, but Uranus wasn't recognized as a planet until the late 1700s. Finding Uranus for yourself can be a challenge, but a little persistence pays off. To locate the planet, look low in the southeast.
The second partial solar eclipse of 2007 will take place on Tuesday, September 11: However, the umbra (the dark shadow cone of the moon ) will completely miss the Earth, passing 802 km below the South Pole and out into space. The moon's penumbra (the outer shadow) can been seen from Antarctica and southern areas in South American, and will appear to partially eclipse the sun, with 74.9-percent of the sun's diameter covered. The penumbra can first be seen near the city of La Paz, Bolivia at 10:26 UT. The shadow will move eastward and by 11:30 UT the southern areas of South America will be in the penumbral shadow. Greatest eclipse occurs to the west of the Drake Passage at 12:31 UT. The Earth leaves the penumbral shadow at 14:37 UT.
From September the sky moves into its autumn phase, providing ample opportunities for us to observe the arcane beauty of autumn stars and constellations that, for a few months, were hidden behind the glare of the sun. As night falls, the captivating zodiacal constellations of Pisces, Aquarius, Capricornus, and Sagittarius are visible across the sky from east to west. Sagittarius the Archer is a happy hunting ground for astronomers, lying as it does at the very heart of the Milky Way. To locate this constellation, first find the Milky Way band overhead and follow it towards the southern horizon until you arrive at a group of stars that look like a teapot. In the northern part of the sky are the constellations of Andromeda, Pegasus, Cygnus, and Hercules. Dont miss the chance to view Andromeda through binoculars. Can you spot a misty patch of light in the northern part of this constellation? This is the Andromeda Galaxy, our closest galactic neighbour and also the most distant object visible to the naked eye, lying a mere two million light-years away.
This is a month of migrations. All sorts of birds are moving south, including several of the celestial variety. Jupiter also is moving, sliding westward toward the setting sun. And the sun, too, is moving, drifting south across the celestial equator, bringing the onset of fall on Sept. 23. The sun continues moving farther south, warming our hemisphere less and less until the winter solstice on Dec. 22. There will be a partial solar eclipse Sept. 11. Unfortunately, this event will be visible only in South America and Antarctica.