What's in the Sky? Top Astronomy Events of September 2022
We are now more than halfway through the year. If you haven’t already, you should try looking up at the night sky. Read on to learn the top astronomy events of September 2022.
September 2022 Astronomy Events
9/10 - Full Moon
The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 09:58 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Corn Moon because the corn is harvested around this time of year. This moon is also known as the Harvest Moon. The Harvest Moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the September equinox each year.
9/16 – Neptune at Opposition
The blue giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long. This is the best time to view and photograph Neptune. Due to its extreme distance from Earth, it will only appear as a tiny blue dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.
9/23 – September Equinox
The September equinox occurs at 00:55 UTC. The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. This is also the first day of fall (autumnal equinox) in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of spring (vernal equinox) in the Southern Hemisphere.
9/25 – New Moon
The Moon will located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 21:55 UTC. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.
9/26 - Jupiter at Opposition
The giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long. This is the best time to view and photograph Jupiter and its moons. A medium-sized telescope should be able to show you some of the details in Jupiter's cloud bands. A good pair of binoculars should allow you to see Jupiter's four largest moons, appearing as bright dots on either side of the planet.
Conjunctions in September 2022:
Below are all of the conjunctions for this month. The celestial objects of all four conjunctions listed below are spaced too far apart to be seen in the same field of view through a telescope, but they can all be visible by the naked eye, or seen in more detail through binoculars.
| Date | Celestial Objects |
| 9/8 | The Moon and Saturn |
| 9/11 | The Moon and Jupiter |
| 9/16 | The Moon and Mars |
That concludes the top astronomy events of September 2022! What did we miss? Which event are you looking forward to the most? Is there anything you would like to add? Let us know in the comments below orContact Us to speak with an expert.
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Overview of the Top 2022 Astronomy Events
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