On September 1, moon and planets soon after sunset
Discuss Print Me Email to FriendTonight is Monday, Sep 01 2008
Our chart shows the western sky for about 30 minutes after sunset at mid-northern latitudes in North America. With an unobstructed horizon and a crystal-clear sky, you might see the thin waxing crescent moon and the blazing planet Venus above your horizon at dusk. The planets Mercury and Mars will be hard to see, even with binoculars!
At 40 degrees north latitude – the latitude of Philadelphia – the moon follows the sun beneath the horizon about 40 minutes after sunset. Mars, the faintest of these three planets, sets about 70 minutes after the sun. Mercury and Venus set somewhere in between. Farther north, the moon and planets set sooner after the sun; farther south, they set later. To know the setting times for the moon and planets in your sky, see the links on our almanac page.
The southern hemisphere has a great big advantage over the northern hemisphere for watching this evening’s moon and planet show. There, all these bodies stay out a good while after dark. For instance, at 40 degrees south latitude – at Valdvia, Chile – Venus, Mercury and Mars set more than two hours after sunset. It’ll be easy to see all these planets with the unaided eye from those southern skies!
