September 19-23, 2026: The Waxing Gibbous Moon appears farther eastward in front of Sagittarius and Capricornus as the Harvest Moon approaches.
Venus as an Evening Star
Harvest Moon Approaches
The September moon appears eastward each night. The Full Harvest moon occurs on September 26.
Each evening as the moon appears farther east from the previous night, the lunar orb is about the same height above the horizon. At this season the ecliptic – the plane of the solar system – makes a shallow angle with each horizon and it is low in the southern sky.
The moon appears each evening against Sagittarius and Capricornus, without exceptionally bright stars.
Highlights
Here’s what to see an hour after sunset:
- September 19: The lunar orb, 61% illuminated, is 20° above the southern horizon. It is in front of Sagittarius, 3.3° to Nunki’s lower right. Use a binocular to see the starfield in this bright moonlight on these evenings.
- September 20: The moon, 70% illuminated, is 22° above southern horizon, slightly higher than last night. It is 9.0° to Nunki’ left.
- September 21: Tonight, in front of Capricornus, the moon, 78% illuminated, is 23° above the southern horizon 10.0° to the lower right of Algedi, meaning “the kid.”
- September 22: On the night of the autumnal equinox, the lunar or is 22° above the southeast horizon and 7.7° to the upper right of Deneb Algedi, the kid’s tail.
- September 23: The moon, 92% illuminated, is 21° above the southeast horizon, 5.2° to Deneb Algedi’s upper left.
Look for the bright gibbous moon in the southern sky after sunset as is approaches the Full Harvest moon.
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