09/01/2021 – Ephemeris – Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, September 1st. Today the Sun will be up for 13 hours and 13 minutes, setting at 8:18, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:06. The Moon, 2 days past last quarter, will rise at 1:57 tomorrow morning.

Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. Venus should be visible in the western evening twilight before 9 tonight. It will set at 9:41 pm. By 9 pm, Jupiter and Saturn will be seen low in the southeastern sky. The brighter Jupiter will be easy to spot at that hour. Saturn will be dimmer, but a bit higher and to its right. Both these planets will be visible for most of the night, with Saturn setting first at 4:22 am, with Jupiter setting at 5:53 tomorrow morning. Saturn’s rings can be seen in a spotting scope of about 20 power magnification. Though at that power, the rings won’t appear separated from the planet, so Saturn will look like an elliptical spot. Most of Jupiter’s 4 brightest moons can be spotted in binoculars.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hr). They may be different for your location.

Addendum

Venus in twilight at 8:45 pm, about 1/2 hour after sunset tonight, September 1, 2021. Created with Stellarium.

Jupiter and Saturn in the southeast about three quarters of an hour after sunset. Created using Stellarium.

The waning crescent Moon as it might be seen in binoculars or low magnification telescope at 6 am tomorrow morning, September 2, 2021.
Created using Stellarium.

Telescopic view of the bright planets (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification, this evening. Venus at 9 pm, and the other two at 11 pm, September 1, 2021. Apparent diameters: Venus, 15.16″, 73% illuminated; Saturn 18.32″, its rings 42.67″; Jupiter, 48.83″. Jupiter’s moons Io and Europa will slowly approach the planet over the morning hours. Io will be occulted by the planet around 4:05 am (08:05 UT). Europa will begin its transit across the face of the planet around 5:04 am (09:04 UT). The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts). Jovian satellite event times determined from Stellarium.

Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night, starting with sunset on the right on September 1, 2021. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 2nd. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.

Note: Mars and Mercury are too close to the direction of the Sun to be visible from Northern Michigan.  However, Mercury  will be easily visible far south of here and into the Southern Hemisphere.