Observing Calendars

September Observing Calendar   September is a great viewing month in the south. The summer haze gives way to clearer skies and pleasant temperatures. Follow the constellation Aquila south to Sagittarius (see August Calendar). Sagittarius will begin setting to the west this month, so it's a prime target for August and September viewing, and it’s a gold mine of targets! Sagittarius has many mythical names and stories, but it is best recognized as the Teapot constellation. Its spout is now turned down toward the southwest. Because it is in our line of sight toward the center of our galaxy, it has a wealth of interesting and beautiful objects to observe. We find M8, the Lagoon Nebula, about five degrees west and north of the teapot handle. M17, the Swan Nebula, is described this way by Burnham, “...the main feature of M17 is the long bright comet-like streak across the north edge; on the west end a curved 'hook' gives the whole nebula a resemblance to a ghostly figure '2' with a bright streak forming a base. It requires only the slightest use of imagination to transform this pattern into the graceful figure of a celestial swan floating in a pool of stars...” M20, The Trifid Nebula, is among the most photographed objects. It's about 1-1/2 degrees NNW of M8. It received its name from the appearance of its three-forked nebulosity. In color images, sections glow in hues of blue and red as specific gases are excited by background stars. The rifts forming the three sections are the result of dust grains obscuring light from background stars. Sagittarius is full of delights including globular clusters like M22, M28, and M16, the Eagle Nebula, which is actually in the constellation Serpens. Also of interest is Neptune and Uranus skirting the ecliptic to the north and east of Sagittarius. Its still a good time to view Mars, athough it is rapidly receding east again. Look to the southeast after 9:00.