The waning crescent moon hangs near the two bright stars of Gemini the Twins, Castor and Pollux, on the mornings of September 20 and 21, 2022. Also nearby is Procyon, the brightest star in Canis Minor. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.
Evening planets
Saturn is rising before sunset and is perfect for observing all evening. Jupiter – brighter than all the stars – is rising near sunset and is visible most of the night. Jupiter’s opposition comes on September 26. Mars is now rising before midnight and will rise around 10 p.m. local time by the end of the month.
Morning planets
On September mornings, two bright planets arc across the sky: Mars and Jupiter. Jupiter is far to the west before sunup, second-brightest planet after Venus. Mars is best in the wee hours, an hour or two before sunrise. It’s brightening – appearing redder – as it heads toward opposition on December 8.
Note: Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view from your location, try Stellarium Online.
Visible planets and night sky guide September, 2022
September all night: Saturn
As evening falls in September 2022, watch for bright golden Saturn just above the southeastern horizon. Saturn’s opposition, when we flew between Saturn and the sun, was on August 14. So it’s in a wonderful place to see now, ascending in the east in the evening, as seen from around the globe. In addition, if you have a dark sky, you can also see that Saturn shines in the dim, but pretty constellation Capricornus the Sea-goat. Notice that Capricornus has the shape of an arrowhead. Indeed, you can see them crossing the sky all night, traveling along the ecliptic, the same path the sun travels during the day. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.
September mid-evening to dawn: Jupiter
On September evenings, look for Jupiter above the eastern horizon after sunset. It lies directly south of the eastern side of the “Great Square,” a group of 4 stars in Pegasus. Between the Great Square and the bright planet is a pretty but faint group of 6 stars known as the “Circlet.” They compose the western section of the constellation Pisces. Jupiter – the 2nd brightest of all planets – reaches opposition at 20 UTC on September 26, 2022. Chart via John Jardine Goss / EarthSky.
September mornings: Mars high in the sky at sunrise
In early September 2022, Mars is rising before midnight. So, for this reason, you’ll find the planet high in the sky at sunrise. In fact, it’ll be near the easy-to-spot constellation Orion the Hunter. Also, notice how bright and red Mars is now. We’ll fly between Mars and the sun in December.
September 21 morning: Moon near Beehive Cluster (binocular view)
Use your binoculars to peer at the waning crescent moon on the morning of September 21, 2022, and you might glimpse a star cluster as well. A dark sky will, of course, let you see the cluster best. It’s the famous Beehive star cluster, aka M44. A fascinating sight, for sure. Read more about the moon and the Beehive Cluster. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.
The instant of the September equinox is 1:04 UTC on September 23 (8:04 CDT on September 22)
September 22, 23 and 24 mornings: Moon near Regulus
The thin waning crescent moon floats in the east on the mornings of September 22 and 23, 2022. On September 24, it lies especially low in the bright twilight before sunrise. Later, New moon is on September 25. The beautiful glow you see on the unlit portion of the moon is earthshine. Read more about the moon near Regulus. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.
September 24 – October 7 mornings: Zodiacal lights 90 minutes before sunrise
Take advantage of these moon-free mornings to look in the east, about 90 minutes before sunrise, for the zodiacal lights. This false dawn is caused by sunlight reflecting off dust in the plane of our solar system. View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Kris Hazelbaker in Grangeville, Idaho, captured this photo of the zodiacal light and a meteor on October 11, 2021. Kris said: “I had seen the zodiacal light the previous morning, so I made sure my gear was set up that night for early morning action. After framing the image, I set my intervalometer and let it run as the light got brighter. After downloading the pics, I found this one that includes a meteor.” Thank you, Kris!
The instant of new moon is 21:54 UTC on September 25
September 26 evening: Jupiter reaches opposition
Jupiter shines brightly in the southeast in the early evening on September 26, 2022. Jupiter reaches opposition at 20 UTC on September 26, 2022. It lies directly south of the eastern side of the “Great Square,” a group of 4 stars in Pegasus. Additionally, between the Great Square and the bright planet is a pretty but faint group of 6 stars known as the “Circlet.” Overall, they comprise the western section of the constellation Pisces. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.
Visible planets and night sky guide October, 2022
The instant of 1st quarter moon is 0:14 UTC on October 3 (19:14 p.m. CDT October 2)
October evenings: Jupiter shines brightly in Pisces
Jupiter shines brightly in the southeast as October evenings begin. That’s because it reached opposition – when Earth flew between Jupiter and the sun – on September 26. The bright planet lies directly south of the eastern side of the Great Square of Pegasus, a large square pattern in our sky with 4 fairly bright stars marking its corners. Between the Great Square and the bright planet is a pretty, but faint group of 6 stars known as the Circlet. They comprise the western section of the constellation Pisces. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.
October 4 and 5 evenings: Gibbous moon by Saturn
The waxing gibbous moon hangs low in the south after sunset on October 4 and 5, 2022. It lies next to the planet Saturn in Capricornus the Sea-goat. If you have a dark sky, you’ll notice that Capricornus has the shape of an arrowhead. In fact, you can watch Saturn and the moon crossing the sky nearly all night, traveling along the ecliptic, the same path the sun travels during the day. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.
October 7 and 8 evenings: Gibbous moon near Jupiter
On the evenings of October 7 and 8, 2022, the waxing gibbous moon lights the sky near bright Jupiter. Additionally, above the bright planet is a pretty but faint group of 6 stars known as the Circlet in Pisces. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.
October mornings: Mercury for the Northern Hemisphere
Mercury lies in the east before sunrise the first half of October, from around the world. But it’s hard to see from Earth’s Southern Hemisphere. Meanwhile, it’s beginning its best morning apparition of 2022 for the Northern Hemisphere. The little planet reaches its greatest angular distance from the sun on October 8, 2022. So it’s at its greatest distance from the sunrise and at its highest position above the dawn horizon. Additionally, higher in the morning sky is Regulus, brightest star in Leo the Lion. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.
October mornings: Mercury for the Southern Hemisphere
From the Southern Hemisphere, Mercury peeks above the eastern horizon just before sunrise in the first half of October 2022. In this case, because the ecliptic – or path of the sun, moon and planets – is tilted sharply with respect to the horizon, the little planet doesn’t rise very high before sunrise. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.
The instant of full moon is 20:55 UTC (3:55 p.m. CDT) on October 9
October 9 evening: The full Hunter’s Moon
The October 2022 full moon – known as the Hunter’s Moon – rises near sunset on October 9. The bright light west of the full moon is the planet Jupiter.
October 12 after midnight: Moon near Uranus
At 7 UTC (2 a.m. CDT) on October 12, 2022, the bright gibbous moon lies just 0.8 degrees (almost two full moons) above very dim Uranus. Indeed, binoculars will be needed to spot the faint planet. In regions of the United States and Canada, north of a diagonal line from the central California coast, through northern Minnesota, and through northern Quebec, the moon covers, or occults, Uranus. They lie west of the Pleiades and in eastern Aries. Also, note reddish Aldebaran and Mars below them in the sky. Mars will continue brightening between now and its opposition in December. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.
October 13 and 14 late night: Moon by Pleiades and Mars
Now is a great time to be watching for Mars! And for those of us in the Americas, the waning gibbous moon lies between the delicate Pleiades and bright Mars – late at night until dawn – on October 13, 2022, and next to bright Mars on October 14. Elsewhere on the globe, you’ll find Mars somewhere in the vicinity of the moon on these same nights (try Stellarium for an exact view from your location). Also, notice the nearby red star Aldebaran, fiery eye of Taurus the Bull. Mars will continue to brighten between now and December 8, when it will reach its once-in-2-years opposition. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.
October 14 and 15 mornings: Moon near Mars and Pleiades
You can see Mars in the morning sky, too. For example, on the mornings of October 14 and 15, 2022, the waning gibbous moon glows near the shimmering Pleiades star cluster – a true family of stars, born together in space – and also near bright red Mars. They all lie close to the noticeable constellation Orion the Hunter. Mars – the red planet – is now brighter than two other nearby red stars – Aldebaran in Taurus and Betelgeuse in Orion – because Mars is drawing ever-nearer its opposition on December 8. That’s when Earth will pass between Mars and the sun, and the distance between our two worlds will be least, not just this year but for about a two-year period. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.
The instant of last quarter moon is 17:15 UTC (12:15 p.m. CDT) on October 17
October 17 morning: Moon near Castor and Pollux
The morning of October 17, 2922, finds the last quarter moon glowing high in the east immediately west of the two brightest stars of Gemini the Twins, Castor and Pollux. Conversely, these two stars don’t look alike, but they stay noticeably near each other in the sky. Castor is the slightly dimmer star of the pair. And Pollux is more golden in color. Also nearby is Procyon, the brightest star in Canis Minor the Lesser Dog. It’s sometimes called the Little Dog Star. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.
October 20 morning: Moon near Regulus
The morning of October 20, 2022, finds the waning crescent moon hanging near Regulus, the brightest star in Leo the Lion. We typically think of Regulus as a spring star. And indeed, it’ll be in our evening sky six months from now! Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.
Around October 23: Saturn ends retrograde
As evening falls throughout October 2022, look for bright golden Saturn in the southern sky. The planet is “stationary” – ending its westward or retrograde motion – on October 23. The end of retrograde motion marks the end of the best months to see Saturn. From here on, the planet will be moving eastward in front of the stars again (its normal direction). However, it’ll be shifting westward from night to night, with respect to the meridian (a line in our sky, running due south to due north), as Earth moves around the sun. So, by the year’s end, Saturn will be near the sunset, not visible for long each evening. Also, if you have a dark sky, you can see that Saturn shines in the dim, but pretty constellation Capricornus the Sea-goat, which has the shape of an arrowhead. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.
October 23 and 24 mornings: Moon near Mercury
The slender waning crescent moon floats above the eastern horizon in the morning twilight October 23, 2022. On the following morning, it lies just above the horizon and above the sometimes difficult-to-spot Mercury. Moreover, the beautiful glow you see on the unlit portion of the moon is earthshine. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.
The instant of new moon is 10:49 UTC (5:49 a.m. CDT) on October 25
September-October-November 2022 heliocentric solar system planets
The sun-centered charts below come from Guy Ottewell. You’ll find charts like these for every month of 2022 here, in his Astronomical Calendar. Guy Ottewell explains:
In these views from ecliptic north, arrows (thinner when south of the ecliptic plane) are the paths of the four inner planets. Dots along the rest of the orbits are five days apart (and are black for the part of its course that a planet has trodden since the beginning of the year). Also, semicircles show the sunlit side of the new and full moon (vastly exaggerated in size and distance). Additionally, pairs of lines point outward to the more remote planets.
Phenomena such as perihelia (represented by ticks) and conjunctions (represented by lines between planets) are at dates that can be found in the Astronomical Calendar. Likewise, Gray covers the half of the universe below the horizon around 10 p.m. at mid-month (as seen from the equator). The zodiacal constellations are in directions from the Earth at mid-month (not from the sun).
Guy Ottewell’s Zodiac Wavy Chart is a 2-by-3 foot (0.6 by 0.9 meter) poster displaying the movements of the sun, moon and planets throughout the year. You can purchase it here.
Bottom line: Saturn and Jupiter are visible all night. Mars rises late in the evening and is high in the morning sky.
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