Shropshire sky at night – September

This is when the sun shines directly on the equator resulting in equal lengths of day and night. After this date the nights noticeably draw in and provide an ideal time to make acquaintance with the most distant object that you can see with the unaided eye.

The Andromeda galaxy (referred to as M31 by astronomers) is 2.5 million light years away, is roughly 10 billion years old and contains about a trillion stars. Look east at about 22.00 BST and you will see the unmistakable red glow of Mars. Using an outstretched arm and measuring up from the red planet, about one and half hand spans should bring you to an identifiable fuzzy patch. A pair of low power binoculars should give a better view, unfortunately not as good as this image taken by the Hubble space telescope.

Often referred to as our sister galaxy due to their shapes and size, many are surprised that we are approaching each other at about 110 kilometres per second, but do not worry, we are not going to collide for at least four billion years.

September is a good month for planet hunters. Venus, our brightest planet, demonstrates it brilliance throughout the month as a blazing morning star. Just look towards the eastern horizon to be rewarded. The twin gas giant planets of Jupiter and Saturn, although fading, still provide a view worth chasing in the evening sky, especially with binoculars. However a small telescope will be needed to capture the giant ice planets of Uranus and Neptune, best observed closer to midnight.

The 17th will find the Moon located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun, hence will not be visible in the night sky. This provides an ideal opportunity to observe many of the fainter objects such as galaxies and star clusters.

If you look skywards from a rural location on a clear night, you may be lucky to observe a diffuse band of light rising up from the east passing overhead and heading towards the western horizon. This diffuse band is the light from the trillion stars which make up our Milky Way spiral galaxy.

In fact it was only 100 years ago that our galaxy was considered to be the extent of the whole universe. However following what became known as the 'Great Debate', presentations from two leading American astronomers, Harlow Shapley and Heber Curtis holding opposing views on the matter, discussed the pros and cons at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Eventually, following further observations and measurements, this dichotomy was eventually resolved in favour of our current understanding.

SpaceX, of Elon Musk fame, has been delivering cargo to and from the International Space Station since 2012, and has recently been successful at transporting people to the orbiting laboratory. With renewed interest the ISS is visible throughout September in the early mornings about 5am up to 17th then late evening for the rest of the month, so there is no excuse. There are many websites and apps that will help you find specific times and directions to look.

The Shropshire Astronomical Society always welcomes experienced or novice stargazers, but unfortunately has suspended all meetings and public events for the foreseeable future. For further information visit www.shrophire-astro.uk

Steve Szwajkun is a member of Shropshire Astronomical Society