Thank you to NASA ambassador Tony Rice for providing the weekly Astronomical highlights for Charlotte.
You can connect with Tony right here
Highlights
- 09/10 Venus will be within 4º of the crescent moon, rising about an hour before sunrise
- 9/13 There will be a partial solar eclipse beginning at 06:41 UTC but it will be visible only from southern Africa
Planet visibility
| body (phase) | rise | transit (alt) | set | constellation |
| Mercury (34%) | 09:10:21 | 14:40:01 (40°) | 20:09:22 | Virgo |
| Venus (21%) | 04:15:59 | 10:55:01 (60°) | 17:34:11 | Cancer |
| Moon (2%) | 08:13:04 | 14:18:02 (47°) | 20:16:34 | Virgo |
| Mars | 04:39:02 | 11:34:02 (64°) | 18:28:35 | Leo |
| Saturn | 12:43:18 | 17:40:20 (31°) | 22:41:04 | Libra |
| Jupiter | 05:51:36 | 12:26:59 (59°) | 19:02:13 | Leo |
Sample rise/set times for 09/14/15
Satellite passes
International Space Station (ISS)
- good pass begins Sat 2015-09-12 05:46:50 from the W (268°) reaches 49°, lasts 5 minutes
- fair pass begins Sun 2015-09-13 04:55:57 from the ENE (56°) reaches 86°, lasts 2 minutes
- poor pass begins Mon 2015-09-14 05:37:35 from the NW (310°) reaches 26°, lasts 4 minutes
- poor pass begins Tue 2015-09-15 04:46:34 from the NNE (27°) reaches 42°, lasts 2 minute
- poor pass begins Tue 2015-09-22 06:33:39 from the NW (326°) reaches 26°, lasts 6 minutes
- good pass begins Thu 2015-09-24 06:23:05 from the NW (316°) reaches 46°, lasts 6 minutes
- poor pass begins Fri 2015-09-25 05:31:11 from the NNW (342°) reaches 28°, lasts 4 minutes
Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
no visible HST passes predicted during this period
See Heavens Above for the latest pass predictions. Satellite pass gradings are based on altitude reached and duration of pass. Higher altitude passes are closer to the observer and generally brighter as a result. Satellites other than ISS are much more difficult to spot.
Moon Phases
| date | phase |
| Mon 2015-09-21 04:59:04 | first quarter |
| Sun 2015-09-27 22:50:30 | full |
| Sun 2015-10-04 17:06:03 | last quarter |
| Mon 2015-10-12 20:05:43 | new |
Sun
Sunrise/set
| Date | Rise | Solar noon (alt) | Set | sunlight |
| Mon 2015-09-14 | 07:02 | 13:18 (52.97°) | 19:33 | 12 hrs 31 min |
| Tue 2015-09-15 | 07:03 | 13:18 (52.58°) | 19:32 | 12 hrs 28 min |
| Wed 2015-09-16 | 07:04 | 13:17 (52.20°) | 19:30 | 12 hrs 26 min |
| Thu 2015-09-17 | 07:05 | 13:17 (51.81°) | 19:28 | 12 hrs 23 min |
| Fri 2015-09-18 | 07:06 | 13:17 (51.43°) | 19:27 | 12 hrs 20 min |
| Sat 2015-09-19 | 07:07 | 13:16 (51.04°) | 19:25 | 12 hrs 18 min |
| Sun 2015-09-20 | 07:08 | 13:16 (50.65°) | 19:23 | 12 hrs 15 min |
| Mon 2015-09-21 | 07:09 | 13:16 (50.26°) | 19:22 | 12 hrs 12 min |
| Tue 2015-09-22 | 07:10 | 13:15 (49.87°) | 19:20 | 12 hrs 10 min |
| Wed 2015-09-23 | 07:11 | 13:15 (49.49°) | 19:18 | 12 hrs 7 min |
- lost 0:23:44 (hh:mm:ss) of daylight over this period
- daylight (HH:MM): 12:19
- mean: sunrise 07:07 sunset 19:26
- max: sun angle 52.97°
Twilight
| date | rise | set |
| Mon 2015-09-14 | 05:27 | 21:09 |
| Tue 2015-09-15 | 05:28 | 21:07 |
| Wed 2015-09-16 | 05:30 | 21:05 |
| Thu 2015-09-17 | 05:31 | 21:03 |
| Fri 2015-09-18 | 05:32 | 21:01 |
| Sat 2015-09-19 | 05:33 | 21:00 |
| Sun 2015-09-20 | 05:34 | 20:56 |
| Mon 2015-09-21 | 05:35 | 20:54 |
| Tue 2015-09-22 | 05:36 | 20:52 |
| Wed 2015-09-23 | 05:37 | 20:50 |
Astronomical Seasons
- autumnal equinox: Wed 2015-09-23 04:20
- winter solstice: Mon 2015-12-21 23:47
Meteor Showers
Meteor Showers Underway this period
| name | rating | start | peak | end | zhr* | speed (mi/s) | quality | moon at peak | parent body |
| September Epsilon Perseids | minor | Sep 05 | Wed Sep 09 | Sep 21 | 5 | 64 | faint | ↑ Thu 4:27 AM 09/10/15 5% full ↓Thu 6:01 PM | |
| Antihelion Source | minor | Sep 10 | Dec 10 | 4 | 30 | faint | None | ||
| Southern Taurids | minor | Sep 10 | Sat Oct 10 | Nov 20 | 5 | 27 | bright | ↑ Sun 5:58 AM 10/11/15 1% full ↓Sun 6:12 PM |
Next Major Meteor Showers
| name | rating | start | peak | end | zhr* | speed (mi/s) | quality | moon at peak | parent body |
| Geminids | major | Dec 07 | Sun Dec 13 | Dec 17 | 120 | 35 | medium | ↑ Mon 9:39 AM 12/14/15 7% full ↓Sun 7:29 PM | C/1964 N1 (Ikeya) |
see: International Meteor Organization calendar for details. ZHR is a rough prediction and represents optimal viewing conditions (clear dark sky, radiant directly overhead). Green rows are the best viewing
History
- Sep 14 Launch of Kaguya, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) first lunar orbiter, from the Tanegashima Space Center. Officially named SELENE (SELenological and ENgineering Explorer), Kaguya spent twenty months mapping the Moon’s surface to understand lunar origins and search polar craters for signs of lunar ice. The mission ended on June 10, 2009, when the three-ton probe intentionally impacted the Moon. 8 years ago
- Sep 14 Launch of Venera 12, a partially-successful Venus soft lander. 37 years ago
- Sep 19 A major earthquake struck Mexico City. 30 years ago
- Sep 19 Launch of Chandrayaan-1, India’s first moon mission, Contact with the spacecraft was lost halfway through the planned two year mission. 7 years ago
- Sep 20 Launch of the High-Energy Astronomical Observatory (HEAO) 3 satellite, designed to study gamma and cosmic rays. 36 years ago
- Sep 21 After a very successful mission, the Galileo orbiter was deliberately de-orbited into the atmosphere of Jupiter. 12 years ago
- Sep 22 Pioneer 10 became the first of four spacecraft now considered to have “left the Solar System.” Launched in March, 1972, Pioneer 10 was designed for a 21-month mission. It remained in contact for more than thirty years! 25 years ago
- Sep 23 Johann Galle & Urbain Le Verrier discovered Neptune 169 years ago
Covers Mon 2015-09-14 01:00 through Thu 2015-09-24 01:00 . Calculations are for Charlotte, NC (40.3690,-80.6330) at an elevation of 215 m and are expressed in local (US/Eastern) time and a 24 hour clock.
