Adrian Dening's Stars Over Somerset

Wednesday, 10 September 2025 15:26

Monday 15th to Sunday 21st September 2025

We always associate astronomy with the night sky, but it is possible to observe some brighter objects during the day, with our Moon being the most obvious target.

Look towards the south west around 11am on Tuesday morning 16th and try to spot a 28%-lit waning crescent Moon with the naked eye. It will be quite high in the sky - about 55 degrees above the horizon. If you have brought your telescope out, just below and to the left of the Moon, Jupiter will be shining at a magnitude of -1.9

I will repeat my usual warning though, that the Sun will be shining very brightly at a magnitude of around -26.0 a little further south and you must never accidentally catch a glimpse of it in your telescope's eyepiece, as it will result in instant and permanent blindness!

Moving on to the morning of Friday 19th, look towards the east at 6am to see a 6%-lit crescent Moon. Just below the Moon, Venus will be easy to spot at a magnitude of -3.8 and immediately below Venus, you should be able to see the magnitude +1.0 bright star Regulus.

Don't even bother risking your telescope for this one, as the Sun will be just about to rise above the horizon in the same place!

Finally, towards the end of the week, Saturn reaches opposition and it will actually be viewable the whole night, from dusk to dawn, as it appears to travel between east and west horizons.