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Night sky from Pittsburgh, PA 10 pm EST mid-September
Buhl Planetarium & Observatory
SEPTEMBER STAR CHART2020
Presented by:
Star Chart FAQ
How do I use the star chart?Hold it out in front of you with the direction you’re facing at the bottom of the chart. It works even better if you hold it above your head and look up at it.
Why are east and west switched?They are only switched because you’re used to looking at maps of the ground. Hold it above your head, and you’ll see the directions line up just right.
Why isn’t the Moon on the star chart?The star chart covers a whole month. During this time, the Moon travels all the way around the Earth, doing a full lap around the sky.
Try to see how far the Moon moves compared to the background stars from day to day.
What’s happening in September?
On Sept. 22, 2020, the Northern Hemisphere will experience the autumnal equinox!
This marks the day when the Earth is positioned in its orbit that it receives equal amounts of daylight in both hemispheres. On Sept. 22, we will have the same number of hours of daylight and nighttime. Observing the sky on an equinox, you’ll be able to see the Sun rise due east, and set due west.
From here, we’ll start to see fewer daylight hours and more nighttime hours.
Space Fact of the Month
Sept. 23rd marks the 174th anniversary of the discovery of the planet Neptune! Neptune was the first planet to be discovered by using mathematics. By observing the planet Uranus and noticing it was not where it should be, scientists were able to calculate that another planet was present.
You could also say that Neptune was discovered just over a “year” ago, as one Neptunian year – the time it takes to orbit the Sun once – is 165 Earth-years long!
Buhl Planetarium & Observatory
SEPTEMBER STAR CHART2020
Buhl Planetarium is closed for renovations through
early November. In the meantime, follow us on Facebook for
our weekly BITE-SIZED BUHL FACEBOOK LIVE programs, streaming every Thursday at 10:30 am!
Look for updates about the planetarium,
including a reopening date and future SKYWATCH dates, at CarnegieScienceCenter.org.
CarnegieScienceCenter
@CarnegieSciCtr
