The night sky this week will be offering the perfect conditions for "moongazing" as the Moon will be in the crescent phase. This will give a more pleasing sight of what the night sky has to offer this week.
September 11-18, 2023: The Night Sky This Week
September 11: The Crescent Moon and the Beehive Cluster
The Crescent Moon will have an illumination of 12% before dawn. It will be situated just three degrees from the Beehive Cluster (M44).
The sight can be seen before dawn and towards the east. It can only be viewed from a 10x50 or 10x42 pair of binoculars. Under and to its right will be Venus shining extremely bright.
September 12: The Crescent Moon's "Earthshine" With the Brightest Planet
By the east-northeast, the slender crescent Moon will be visible at a 6% illumination before sunrise. The crescent Moon will exhibit "Earthshine," which refers to sunlight that Earth reflects onto the surface of the Moon. Once again, Venus will also be nearby.
September 13: Super-Slim Crescent Moon
The super-slim crescent Moon, with an illumination of 2.4%, will be visible this day at the east-northeast. Around 4 degrees to the upper right of the Moon will be the Regulus star, which is the brightest from the Leo constellation.
However, since it will show up by dawn, it is important to view it from a horizon that is free of clouds. It is also recommended to make use of a pair of binoculars to increase chances of viewing the celestial sight.
September 15: The New Moon
On September 15, the New Moon is set to light up the sky. This lunar phase occurs when the Moon is situated roughly in between the Sun and the Earth. It ends up getting lost in the glare of the Sun.
While this New Moon will not result in a solar eclipse, it will spend the next 29 days crossing the ecliptic, which is the Sun's path in the sky, to achieve such a feat.
The "Ring of Fire" annular solar eclipse can be seen on October 14, 2023 from eight states in the US, from Oregon all the way to Texas. It will also be visible from South and Central America.
September 17: The Crescent Moon and Spica
Unlike the other days, moongazing on September 17 will be more convenient as it will rise on the west-southwest shortly after the sun sets. With the Moon's illumination of roughly 8%, the bright Spica star will also be visible on its lower-right.
Mars may also be just around the corner, but it is unlikely that the Red Planet would be visible.
The Summer Triangle This Week
The Summer Triangle, which will be in its last legs, can be seen inching nearer to the western sky this week. The Summer Triangle is one of the summer night sky's anchors. It covers Lyra's Vega at the top right, Cygnus' Deneb at the top left, and Aquila's Altair at the bottom and center. In a dark night sky, one may be able to observe the Milky Way streaming right through this Summer Triangle.
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