22 SKYNEWS •SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
OUTER
PLANET
VIEWS
VIEW: TELESCOPE
DATE: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 TYPE: CONJUNCTION
TIME: PREDAWN
NEPTUNE MEETS PHI AQUARII
Finding Neptune couldn’t be easier in early September. On the morning of the 6th,
the giant ice world passes a mere 13 arc seconds southeast of 4.2-magnitude Phi (φ)
Aquarii at 5:30 a.m., PDT. Unfortunately, the planet and star will be poorly placed (or
below the horizon) for Canadian observers at that hour. But if you view the twosome
earlier in the morning, they’ll still be very close. At 1 a.m., EDT, for example, they’ll be
separated by a tight 34 arc seconds—less than one Jupiter diameter.
Phi Aquarii can be a bit of a challenge to identify, especially in a city sky. Once you
have it centred in your telescope, you’ll have little trouble spotting Neptune, tempo -
rarily serving as the star’s faint companion. The following night (September 6/7),
Neptune will sit 60 arc seconds southwest of Phi, as the planet continues its slow
retrograde (westward) journey away from the star.
Neptune reaches opposition on September 10, when it rises at sunset and ap-
pears due south in the middle of the night. In a telescope, the distant 7.8-magnitude
world exhibits a distinctly bluish tint, though its disc is a meager 2.3 arc seconds
across—just 0.5 arc second greater than Jupiter’s biggest moon, Ganymede.It’s prime time for a pair of
distant worlds, and the annual
Harvest Moon rises by ALAN DYERI
F YOU’VE NEVER SEENUranus or Nep-
tune, now is a great opportunity to check
them off your astro life list. Both planets are
at their brightest as they reach opposition and are
positioned due south in the middle of the night.
CHARTS BY GLENN LEDREWPRAIRIE HARVEST MOONEach autumn, the Harvest Moon presents a fine photo opportunity
as it rises at sunset. This year’s Harvest Moon, on September 13, clears the horizon well south of
the ecliptic, as it did in September 2018, when this photo was taken. Extra dust in the dry prairie
air at harvesttime imparts a strong golden tone to the Moon. PHOTO BY ALAN DYER