Skywatch Line for Monday and Tuesday, September 23rd and 24th, written by Joe Slomka

This is the Skywatch Line for Monday and Tuesday, September 23rd and 24th, written by Joe Slomka.

The Sun sets at 6:50 PM; night falls at 8:25. Dawn begins at 5:11 AM and ends with the Sun rising at 6:46.

Eastern Taurus hosts the Moon on both nights. Monday’s sets at 1:46 PM, and rises at 10:11 PM; by midnight it is 16° high in the East, appears 31° in diameter, 56% lit and 21-days-old. Tuesday’s, is 75° high at 6 AM, same size, 54% lit, sets at 2:50 PM and rises at 3:41 PM, Wednesday.

Venus continues to appear in western Virgo, rises at 9:20 AM, by 7:30 PM it is 4° high, blazes with minus 4th magnitude, 12 arc-seconds, 86% lit, sets at 7:53 PM and is in descending mode. Saturn resides in Aquarius, shines with zero magnitude, 19 arc-seconds, rises at 6:19 PM, 11:48 PM highest, 14° high at 7:30 PM, 31° in the southwest and sets at 5:21 AM. Neptune, in Pisces, 13° behind Saturn, gleams with 8th magnitude, 2 arc-seconds, rises at 6:45 PM, highest at 12:40 AM, 8° high at 7:30 PM and sets at 6:32 AM. Southern Dwarf Planet 1Ceres hangs on, 8th magnitude, 97% lit rises at 3:35 PM, highest at 7:26 when it is 17° high and sets at 11:18 PM.

Uranus shares southwestern Taurus with Jupiter; it rises at 9:05 Pm, glimmers with 5th magnitude, 3 arc-seconds, highest at 4:23 AM and 54° high at 6:30 AM. Jupiter, 24° away, illuminates with minus 2nd magnitude, 41 arc-seconds, rises at 10:30 PM and 68° highest at 6:04 AM. Tuesday the Great Red Spot (a giant storm) begins at 9:17 PM while IO’s occultation ends at 22:23 PM. Mars, now in Gemini, is 20° from Jupiter, rising at 11:55 PM, zero magnitude, 7 arc-seconds in size, 67° at 6:30 AM and shines with 87%.

Another comet makes an appearance; C/2023 A3 lies in the East. It shimmers with 5th magnitude, 65% illuminated, rises at 5:39, 8° highest at 11:19 AM and sets at 4:59 PM. The comet’s full name reflects discovery by a Chinese observatory in January 2023. Observers are advised to find clear horizon and binoculars. It will be highest in October.

This week’s main event is the Fall or Autumnal Equinox, which took place Sunday at 8:44 AM. There are several meanings to the word “equinox.” One meaning is: the moment when the southbound Sun appears to cross the celestial equator; also related, is when the Northern Hemisphere is tipped away from the Sun, signaling the onset of winter. The Sun rises in the East and sets in the West, making day and night about equally 12 hours. This can be verified by either using an astronomy program to demonstrate the equinox, or by simply using a compass to verify the Sun’s rising and setting on that date. Daylight drops dramatically. Sun sets earlier and rises later. Sun keeps heading lower in the sky until its hits bottom on the Winter Solstice, when the upward cycle begins.