Mercury - Mercury is in superior conjunction with the Sun on September 1 and is basically a lost cause for Northern Hemisphere observers this month.

Venus - can be seen in the morning sky. Look for it 10 degrees up in the ENE just before sunrise, the earlier in the month the better. Venus will be magnitude -3.8 during September. On the morning of September 6, Venus will pass 0.75 degrees away from 1st magnitude Regulus. Through a telescope, the planet will appear almost fully illuminated and have a diameter of 10 arc-seconds during the month.

Mars - Mars appears too close to the Sun to be seen at all in September.

Jupiter - is located in Libra this month. The "King" of the planets can be seen about 20 degrees up in the SW at sunset. Look early, as Jupiter gets too low to observe well by mid-twilight. Jupiter will be magnitude -1.9 with an apparent diameter that ranges from 34 to 32 arc-seconds. Jupiter's Great Red Spot, a large anti-cyclone, can be seen centered on the planet's disc at the following times (EDT):

09/10/2006, 08:10 pm; 09/22/2006, 08:09 pm; 09/27/2006, 07:20 pm

A smaller anti-cyclone, which has appeared in recent years as a white oval, has changed its color to reddish-orange. This has led some to call it "Red Spot Junior". This "new" red spot is located a little south of the GRS.

For detailed postions of Jupiter's Moons try this interactive javascript utility.

Saturn - located in Leo, the ringed planet can be seen in the east just before sunrise. Look for it about 20 degrees up at sunrise at the beginning of September and 40 degrees up by month's end. Saturn will be 0.4 magnitude during September with an apparent diameter of 16 to 17 arc-seconds. The rings will be 36 arc-seconds across and are currently tilted 14 to 15 degrees to our line-of-sight.

The Cassini spacecraft continues its observation of Saturn and its many moons and rings. For the latest images from Cassini, see:

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm

For detailed postions of Saturn's Moons try this interactive javascript utility.

Uranus - located in Aquarius. Look for it 41 degrees up in the south around 1 am EDT at mid-month. Uranus reaches opposition to the Sun on September 4 and will then be up all night. At magnitude 5.7, Uranus can be glimpsed with the naked eye from a moderately dark site. Through a telescope, Uranus has a 3.7" greenish disc. A finder chart for Uranus can be found on page 66 of the May issue of Sky & Telescope.

Neptune - located in Capricornus. Neptune passed though opposition to the Sun last month and is still up for most of the night. Look for it 33 degrees up in the south around 11 pm EDT at mid-month. At magnitude 7.8, Neptune can be seen with binoculars but a telescope is needed to see its 2.3" pale blue disc. A finder chart for Neptune can be found on page 66 of the May issue of Sky & Telescope.

Pluto - is located in Serpens this month, having been sent down to the "minor leagues" on August 24. This "dwarf planet" will be due south around sunset and 33 degrees above the horizon. At magnitude 13.9, a 6 inch scope or larger will be needed to see Pluto. A finder chart for Pluto can be found on page 66 of the May issue of Sky & Telescope.