What's Up for the rest of September
After a great run of clear nights here in Maryland (and I took advantage of that by imaging three new deep space objects - to be posted later this month) there are a few items still upcoming.
Lunar Events
During the night of September 17–18 we will be treated to a partial lunar eclipse; and very partial at that. This will be the first and only time the Moon ducks into Earth’s umbral shadow in 2024 - covering a teeny, teeny bit of the moon in darkness. Mid eclipse occurs around 10:44 pm EDT.
Eclipse phases by time zone
| Eclipse Event | UT | ADT | EDT | CDT | MDT | PDT | AKDT |
| Penumbra first visible? | ~1:30 | ~10:30 p.m. | ~9:30 p.m. | ~8:30 p.m. | ~7:30 p.m. | — | — |
| Partial eclipse begins | 2:12 | 11:12 p.m. | 10:12 p.m. | 9:12 p.m. | 8:12 p.m. | 7:12 p.m. | — |
| Mid-eclipse | 2:44 | 11:44 p.m. | 10:44 p.m. | 9:44 p.m. | 8:44 p.m. | 7:44 p.m. | — |
| Partial eclipse ends | 3:17 | 12:17 a.m. | 11:17 p.m. | 10:17 p.m. | 9:17 p.m. | 8:17 p.m. | 7:17 p.m. |
| Penumbra last visible? | ~4:10 | 1:10 a.m. | 12:10 a.m. | 11:10 p.m. | 10:10 p.m. | 9:10 p.m. | 8:10 p.m. |
On September 17th, the morning before the eclipse, observers in the western half of North America, Hawai'i, and parts of Indonesia and Australia can watch the waxing Moon occult the planet Saturn. Check the International Occultation Timing Association's website for a map and details on times for individual cities.
Five mornings later on September 22nd, the waning gibbous Moon occults the Pleiades star cluster. The passage is nearly central for many U.S. locations and multiple stars will be covered. Observers in the eastern half of the country will see the occultation during morning twilight; in the western states it happens in darkness.
Here is the position of the Moon at 6:00 am for the Baltimore MD area. The sky will be reasonably dark but getting brighter soon after. Telescopes and binoculars will provide a pretty view and you may even be able to witness some occultations (Electra (17) at about 6:11 and Merope (23) at 6:48 for Reisterstown MD.)
Soldier's Delight Star Party
On Saturday evening, September 21, 2024, at 8:00 - 11:00 pm, meet us at Soldier's Delight visitor center for a great talk on the James Webb Space Telescope. We'll discuss the building of the massive telescope, it's launch, where it is now and the science it was designed for. Lots of awesome photos will be presented. In addition I'll discuss and provide information on the Pleiades lunar occultations.
5100 Deer Park Road
Owings Mills MD 21117
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