Sky Excitement for September ’23

ORION

Early morning viewing can find the constellation Orion from August in the north east sky to October in the north west sky.

VENUS

The easiest way to see Venus in the daytime is to start when it’s still night. Find Venus near the sunrise point in the morning. Be sure to position it near a tree, lamppost or building in your foreground. Then keep track of it after the sun rises and the sky turns blue. You’ll be amazed how easy it is to pick out Venus, once you know where to look.

On the mornings of September 11 and 12, 2023, the waxing crescent moon and Venus will be in the same neighborhood of the sky. That’ll be an excellent time to look because Venus will be relatively near its September 19, 2023, greatest brilliancy.

 Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.

MOON

The full Moon that happens nearest to the fall equinox (September 22 or 23) always takes on the name Harvest Moon.  Unlike other full Moons, this full Moon rises at nearly the same time—around sunset—for several evenings in a row, giving farmers several extra evenings of moonlight and allowing them to finish their harvests before the frosts of fall arrive. Read more about the Harvest Moon!

September’s full moon is usually known as the Harvest Moon, but if October’s full moon happens to occur closer to the equinox than September’s, it will be called the Harvest Moon instead. In that case, September’s full Moon is  the Corn Moon.