With the equinox on 22 Sept., this can be a month when the evenings start noticeably earlier within the northern hemisphere, and last more. If that’s excellent news for astrophotographers, so is the onset of the Northern Lights season. After a flurry of highly effective shows in late spring and summer season in 2024, the approaching months — which coincides with the once-on-11-years ‘photo voltaic most’ — promise a lot. Different highlights this month embody the reappearance within the post-sunset sky of Venus, a partial lunar eclipse and the possibility – if it stays intact – of views of comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, which could simply attain naked-eye visibility.
Right here’s all the pieces it’s worthwhile to find out about astrophotography in September 2024…
Monday, 26 August – Monday, 7 September: Darkish sky window
After a summer season of quick nights when darkness has been laborious to search out, right here comes some respite for astrophotographers. Dawn and sundown instances apart, nevertheless, clear night time skies free from moonlight are additionally required for excellent night time sky pictures. The nights will likely be moonlight-free for round 10 nights from 26 Aug., 50% illuminated final quarter moon section by way of to the crescent moon on 7 Sept.
Wednesday, 4 September: A younger crescent moon and Venus
To {photograph} the slimmest attainable crescent moon in opposition to the early twilight sky, be someplace with view low to the western horizon simply after sundown tonight. Your goal is a 3%-lit crescent moon, however Venus is alongside it as a bonus this month. It’s simply emerged from the solar’s glare and can rise into the post-sunset sky till January. Be fast to catch this conjunction as a result of it’s going to sink inside an hour of sundown.
Thursday, September 5: A crescent moon and ‘Earthshine’
Now barely brighter and simpler to see, the nonetheless slim crescent moon may have moved past Venus and be increased above the horizon tonight. You’ll see ‘Earthshine’ on the darkish area of the moon, one thing wide-angle lenses are likely to natively decide up. You’ll be able to strive for the same shot on Friday (when it’s going to shine near vivid star Spica) and Saturday, too, earlier than the illuminated a part of the moon grows so vivid that it drowns out the fragile ‘Earthshine.’
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This picture of Saturn was taken on 19 March 2005 utilizing a webcam hooked up to a 10-inch Newtonian telescope (Picture credit score: Jamie Cooper / Getty Pictures)
Tonight is the night time for the Saturn to look its greatest in 2024. Earth is positioned precisely between the solar and Saturn tonight, making the gap to the ringed planet as quick as attainable. Meaning 100% of Saturn’s disk is seen because it rises within the east round sundown and units within the west round dawn. The rings are side-on to Earth this yr.
Friday, 13 September: Venus And Spica
Should you’re enthusiastic about seeing Venus once more after its lengthy absence from the night sky, right here’s a chance to picture it instantly after sundown within the west. It will likely be near Spica in Virgo tonight, one of many brightest stars of all. The 2 will set collectively round an hour after sundown, so the window for images is slender.
Sunday, 22 September: Moon, Jupiter And ‘Seven Sisters’
(Picture credit score: Alan Dyer / Getty Pictures)
About an hour earlier than midnight, a pleasant panorama of a waning gibbous moon flanked by a vivid planet Jupiter beneath and a glowing open star cluster, the Pleiades (additionally referred to as the ‘Seven Sisters’), above, will likely be seen. They are going to rise within the northeastern night time sky after midnight, as seen from the northern hemisphere.
The final quarter moon section on 24 Sept. will see our pure satellite tv for pc rise round midnight and later within the coming nights, guaranteeing after-dinner skies are darkish and free from bleaching moonlight. That can proceed by way of 6 Oct. when a waxing crescent moon will seem vivid after darkish.
Comets are notoriously troublesome to foretell. As they method the solar, they will brighten or disintegrate. What’s going to occur to comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is unclear, however whether it is to turn into vivid sufficient to turn into seen to the bare eye, then tonight’s the night time as a result of it’s at perihelion—the closest it’s going to get to the solar. Look east simply earlier than daybreak.
Don’t make any preparations for Tuesday, 17 September. It’s not only a full moon, however essentially the most well-known one, the ‘Harvest Moon.’ Not sufficient to get you excited? It’s additionally a ‘supermoon,’ the primary of 4 in 2024, as the complete section coincides with the moon being closest to Earth in its elliptical month-to-month orbit. Should you’re nonetheless not animated, contemplate additionally that the Earth will partially eclipse it.
From North America, the complete moon will rise within the east throughout nightfall, so the eclipse’s impact could also be dulled. From Europe, it’s going to occur over a couple of hours when the moon is excessive within the sky. You’ll be able to use this map to see your view and precise timings from any location on the planet.
Use a mirrorless or DSLR digicam with a 500-600mm telephoto lens, give attention to the moon and use these fundamental settings: ISO 100, f/8 aperture and 1/125-1/250 sec shutter velocity (experimenting with shutter velocity because the eclipse progresses).
