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Do you feel like you've missed your last summer vacation? Do not worry, you can always make a late summer excursion along the Milky Way.
The last days of summer are coming, which means that the sun is setting earlier now. These previous sunsets reveal a starry sky cut in two by the Milky Way. Want to see this view of our galaxy? Go on your favorite getaway to the dark sky or the darkest urban park or open urban space you can find.
While you are waiting for a glimpse of the Milky Way, you will also have an unobstructed view of the planets of our solar system. Keep an eye right after sunset and you can see Venus. If you have binoculars or a telescope, you will see that the phase of Venus will change drastically in September, from almost half of the phase to a larger and finer crescent.
Jupiter, Saturn and reddish Mars are the next ones in the sky, as they continue their brilliant appearances this month. To see them, look to the southwest after sunset. If you are in a dark sky and look above and below Saturn, you can not miss the summer Milky Way that crosses the sky from south-west to north-east.
You can use the summer constellations to help you chart a path through the Milky Way. For example, there is Sagittarius, where stars and some brighter groups appear as steam from a teapot. Then there is Aquila, where the brilliant Star Altair of Eagle joined the Deneb of Cygnus and Vega of Lyra to mark the triangle of the summer. The famous W-shaped constellation of Cassiopeia completes the constellation path by the milky way of summer. The binoculars will reveal double stars, clusters and nebulae all along the milky way.
Between Wednesday, September 12 and Thursday, September 20, watch the moon pass near Venus, above Jupiter, left of Saturn and finally over Mars.
This month, Neptune and Uranus brighter can also be spotted with the help of a telescope. To see them, look in the southeast sky at 1 am or later. If you stay awake, you can also find Mercury just above the eastern horizon of Earth, shortly before sunrise. Use the moon as a guide from Friday 7 to Saturday 7 September.
Although there is no heavy meteor showers in August, comet dust appears in another late summer view, the morning zodiacal light. The zodiacal light looks like a cone of soft light in the night sky. It is produced when sunlight is dispersed by dust in our solar system. Try to look for it in the east just before sunrise, the moonless mornings from Saturday, September 8th to Sunday, September 23rd.
You can follow all current and future NASA missions at www.nasa.gov.
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