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September 1999 Events

All times in 24 hour format (EDT = Eastern Daylight Time, UT = Universal Time) Subtract 1 hour for Central Time, 2 hours for Mountain Time, and 3 hours for Pacific Time. Add 4 hours to EDT for Universal Time.

MOON PHASES

* Harvest Moon - Sept. 25, the first full moon nearest the autumnal equinox (Sept. 23). This begins a period of days when the moon rises soon after sunset, giving farmers in temperate climates more time to harvest their crops in the evening before winter.

MOON'S APOGEE AND PERIGEE

EVENTS
Sept. 1 - The moon is 3° south of Saturn, 2 a.m. EDT; Venus enters the constellation Cancer
Sept. 2 - Mars enters the constellation Scorpius; The moon is 0.8° north of the star Aldebaran (occulting it as seen from some locations), 6 p.m. EDT
Sept. 7 - Moon is 8° north of Venus, noon EDT
Sept. 8 - Mercury is in superior conjunction, 11 a.m. EDT; The moon is 1.1° north of the star Regulus (occulting Regulus as seen from some locations) in the constellation Leo, 11 a.m. EDT
Sept. 9 - Venus is stationary, resuming direct motion
Sept. 11 - Moon is 0.9° south of minor planet Vesta (occulting Vesta as seen from some locations)
Sept. 12 - Mercury enters the constellation Virgo.
Sept. 15 - Mars enters the constellation Ophiuchus
Sept. 16 - Moon is 7° north of Mars, 6 a.m. EDT
Sept. 17 - Sun enters the constellation Virgo; Mars is 3° north of the star Antares in the constellation Scorpius, 3 a.m. EDT
Sept. 18 - Venus enters the constellation Leo
Sept 20 - The moon is 0.7° north of Neptune (occulting Neptune as seen from North America), 6 p.m. EDT
Sept. 21 - The moon is 0.6° north of Uranus (occulting Uranus as seen from some locations), 4 p.m. EDT
Sept. 22 - Mercury is at aphelion
Sept. 23 - Autumnal equinox is at 7:31 a.m. EDT (11:31 UT), autumn begins in the northern hemisphere, spring begins in the southern hemisphere
Sept. 26 - Venus is at its greatest brilliance (magnitude -4.6), 11 a.m. EDT
Sept. 27 - The moon is 4° south of Jupiter, 9 a.m. EDT
Sept. 28 - The moon is 3° south of Saturn, 8 a.m. EDT
Sept. 29 - The moon is 1.0° north of the star Aldebaran (occulting Aldebaran as seen from North America) in the constellation Taurus, midnight EDT
Sept. 30 - Mercury is 1.7° north of the star Spica in the constellation Virgo, noon EDT

MORNING AND EVENING PLANETS

SUN, MOON AND PLANETS
SUN - (dist.: 92.9 mill. mi.) begins the month in the constellation Leo, enters the constellation Virgo on the 17th, and reaches autumnal equinox on the 23rd.
MOON - passes Saturn on the 1st, the star Aldebaran on the 2nd, Venus on the 7th, the star Regulus on the 8th, minor planet Vesta on the 11th, Mars on the 16th, Neptune on the 20th, Uranus on the 21st, Jupiter on the 27th, and Aldebaran again on the 29th.
MERCURY - (mag. -0.4, dist.: 124 mill. mi.) begins the month in the constellation Leo, is in superior conjunction on the 8th, beginnings moving into the west-southwestern evening sky, enters the constellation Virgo on the 12th, reaches aphelion on the 22nd, and passes the star Spica on the 30th.
VENUS - (mag. -4.3 to -4.6, dist.: 24 to 43 mill. mi.) begins the month in the early morning sky. It enters the constellation Cancer on the 1st, is passed by the moon on the 7th, becomes stationary and then resumes direct motion on the 9th, enters the constellation Leo on the 18th, reaches greatest brilliance (magnitude -4.6) on the 26th.
MARS - (mag. 0.4, dist.: 118 mill. mi.) is low in the southwest in early evening sky. It enters the constellation Scorpius on the 2nd, briefly enters the constellation Ophiuchus on the 15th, is passed by the moon on the 16th, and passes the star Antares (the rival of Mars) on the 17th.
JUPITER - (mag. -2.8, dist.: 387 mill. mi.) is in the constellation Aries. It rises an hour or so after sunset and is up most of the night. It is passed by the moon on the 27th.
SATURN - (mag. 0.1, dist.: 799 mill. mi.) is in the constellation Aries. It rises an hour or so after sunset and is up most of the night. It is passed by the moon on the 1st and again on the 28th.
URANUS - (mag. 5.7, dist.: 1,776 mill. mi.) is in the constellation Capricornus. It is passed by the moon on the 21st.
NEPTUNE - (mag. 7.9, dist.: 2,737 mill. mi.) is in the constellation Capricornus. It is passed by the moon on the 20th.
PLUTO - (mag. 13.8, dist.: 2,825 mill. mi.) spends the month in the constellation Scorpius.

COMET LEE (designated C/1999 H1 Lee)
The comet was discovered April 16, 1999 by night assistant Steven Lee of the Anglo-Australian Observatory. Comet Lee rounded the Sun on July 11 and moved into the morning sky. It has been an object visible with binoculars for most of August and can also be seen in September with an 8th magnitude brightness, typical for most comets. During September Comet Lee moves around the north celestial pole and dims to magnitude 8.6. By the end of the month moves into the constellation Perseus, near the Double Cluster (NGC 869 and NGC 884). A telescope will provide a better view of Comet Lee as it continues to dim.


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