The Diamond Moon and Other Astronomical Events To See in September 2026
September is full of opportunities to expand your knowledge of the night sky. Mark your calendars.
September 2026 offers several notable astronomical events to observe. On September 1 and 2, Venus will appear near Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo. Venus will shine much brighter than Spica, appearing as a white dot without much twinkling. Venus and Spica will be about 1.5 degrees apart. On September 3, the moon will be close to the Pleiades star cluster in the sky.
The moon will be 59 percent illuminated, and the Pleiades will be visible as a small group of bright points near the moon. The two objects will be about one degree apart. On September 9 and 10, the Epsilon Perseids meteor shower will peak, producing up to eight meteors per hour. Since the peak occurs just before a new moon, the sky will be dark for optimal viewing.
Venus will reach its brightest point in the night sky on September 22, with an apparent magnitude of approximately -4.8. This will be the brightest Venus will appear all year. On September 23, the September equinox will occur, marking the astronomical beginning of fall in the northern hemisphere and spring in the southern hemisphere.
The Sun will cross the equator as it moves southward. On September 26, Neptune will reach opposition, making it visible for much of the night. It will be at one of its closest distances to Earth for the year, but it will appear as a tiny bluish disk. The Harvest Moon will also appear on September 26, marking the full moon closest to the September equinox.
Written by urgent.news from Wired Science's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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