The Sky This Months Sep. 9 to Oct 14, 2015
General Information
Analemma: Sun’s elevation sinking fast, most rapid at equinox.
Local noon is 1:15 pm on Sep. 9.
Sept 23 at 4:21 pm Fall equinox. Getting longer nights for better observing.
Sunset/ Rise Nights getting longer, an extra 1h 52 min of full night when the Sun is over 18 degrees below the horizon.
Moon Facts
Distances
Sep. 14 Apogee, furthest of year
Sep. 28 Perigee, almost supermoon
Phases
Last quarter Sep. 5 5:54 am
New Sep. 13, 2:41 am
First quarter Sept 21 4:59 am
Full Sept 27, 10:51 pm
Last quarter Oct. 4 5:06 pm
Position compared to Ecliptic
Moves north Sep. 14
Moves south Sep. 27
Moves north Oct. 11
Sept 21 first quarter moon – it is 4.5 degrees north of ecliptic and some details around the south pole are visible.
Sep. 27 Total lunar eclipse of Harvest Moon
9:07 pm Earth moves into umbra
10:11 completely in umbra
10:47 maximum eclipse
Historical Events
Sep 9 40th Anniversary (1975), Viking 2 Launch (Mars Orbiter/Lander)
Sep 10, 2005 Gabrielle (Dysnomia) discovered. From orbit, Eris’ mass is 1.2 times Pluto
Sep 11 - 30th Anniversary (1985), ICE, Comet Giacobini-Zinner Flyby
Sep. 14 1959: Luna 2 - USSR Lunar Hard Lander impacted on the moon. Luna 2 was the first spacecraft to impact the surface of the moon.
Sep 17 - Ed Mitchell's and Tom Stafford’s 85th Birthday (1930)
Sep. 20, 1970: Luna 16 - USSR Lunar Lander launched. Landed on September 20, 1970 at Mare Fecunditaits located at latitude 0°41' S and longitude 56°18' E. 100 grams of lunar samples were returned to the Earth.
Sep 27 1997: Mars Pathfinder Rover lost contact, lasted almost 9 months
Sep. 28 1953: Edwin Hubble died in San Marino, California, USA.
Sep 30 - 135th Anniversary (1880), 1st Photo of Orion Nebula Taken by Henry Draper
Oct 1 1958 1958: First official day of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Oct 2, 1608 1608: Hans Lippershey formally offered his invention, which he called a kijker (looker), to the Estates of Holland for use in warfare.
Oct 4, 1959: Luna 3 - USSR Lunar Far Side Flyby launched. Encountered the Moon on October 7, 1959 and returned the first image of the Moon's hidden side.
Oct. 4 1957: Sputnik-1 launched. First artificial satellite.
3rd first Martian meteorite found 1815 France
1990: Ulysses - USA & Europe Solar Flyby launched. The Ulysses spacecraft is an international project to study the poles of the Sun and interstellar space above and below the poles. It used Jupiter for a gravity assist to swing out of the ecliptic plane and onward to the poles of the Sun. The Jupiter flyby was on February 8, 1992. The first solar polar passage was in June 1994. The spacecraft passed the solar equator in February 1995 and passed over the north pole in June 1995.
7th G. de Vaucouleurs died 1995, first proposed galactic superclusters
Oct 07 - Niehls Bohr's 130th Birthday (1885)
Oct 11 - Uranus At Opposition
Launches
Sept. 10/11 Soyuz Galileo 9 & 10 French Guiana
Sept. 14. Proton Express AMS Baikonur, Russian Communications
Sept. 28 PSLV Astrosat Satish Dhawan, Indian astronomical satellite.
Sept. 30 Ariane 5, NBN Co 1A & Arsat, Kourou, French Guiana, Argentinian and Australian Communication satellites
Oct 1 Soyuz, Progress 61P, Baikopnur, ISS delivery.
Oct. 2 Atlas 5, Morelos Canaveral, Mexican communications
Oct. 5, Proton, Turksat 4B, Baikonur, Turkish Communications
Oct 8 Atlas 5, NROL-55 Vandenberg, Classified project
Astro Events
Sep. 9th to 25th no moon before sunrise, zodiacal light visible, morning ecliptic steep
Sep. 9 to 20 Try to see Uranus naked eye.
Sep. 10 Mars/ Moon/ Venus line in morning
Sep 14 Rosh Hashanah begins Happy New Year
First day of lunar month of Tishrei, usually on New Moon date
21 Venus brightest in morning apparition
22 Moon occults rho Sagittari
23 Fall equinox
27 Total lunar eclipse, harvest moon so red twice
29 4 Vesta at opposition
Oct 4 Follow Sirius into daylight
12 Chance to see thin crescent moon before new moon, 20 h before new
13 Partial solar eclipse, southern hemisphere
21 Lunar straight wall