The proximity to the waning moon offers a good opportunity for spotting them. To the naked eye, they will appear as a small group of bright points next to the moon, as if they were diamonds. Binoculars will allow you to make out many more. The encounter will happen again on September 30, when the two objects will once more be separated by just one degree.
A Modest Meteor Shower: September 9 and 10
September also has its own meteor shower. The Epsilon Perseids will peak September 9 and 10, producing up to eight meteors per hour.
The number of meteors is lower than that of the famous Perseids in August. However, this shower has one advantage: Its peak will occur just two days before the new moon, making the sky ideally dark for viewing.
Conditions will be especially favorable from the northern hemisphere, and, as with any meteor shower, it is recommended to find a dark location away from light pollution.
Venus at Its Brightest: September 22
Venus is usually one of the easiest objects to spot in the night sky, but toward the end of September it will shine even brighter. The planet will reach an apparent magnitude of approximately -4.8. By comparison, the full moon has a magnitude of -12.7, and Sirius—considered the brightest star in the sky—barely reaches -1.46.
Look for the planet after sunset, near the western horizon. Viewing conditions will be best from the southern hemisphere.
The Equinox: September 23
Unlike the other events on this list, the equinox isn’t something we can go out and observe directly. Instead, it’s an astronomical moment that marks a specific point in Earth’s orbit and, with it, the change of season.
The September equinox will occur on September 23 when the Sun crosses the equator as it moves southward. The event marks the astronomical beginning of fall in the northern hemisphere and spring in the southern hemisphere.
Neptune Is in the Neighborhood: September 26
Spotting Neptune is considerably more challenging than spotting other planets. The most distant planet in the solar system (sorry Pluto) is forecasted to reach opposition on September 26. This means that Earth will be approximately between Neptune and the Sun.
This positioning means Neptune will remain visible for much of the night and will be at one of its closest distances to our planet for the year. Therefore, September offers one of the best opportunities in 2026 to try to spot it.
