September 2026 smart telescope observing guide
28 Aug. 2026
In the northern hemisphere, two iconic sights dominate the sky: the Andromeda Galaxy all night long, and the Pleiades in the second half of the night. The Summer Triangle is still widely visible. Late at night, Orion and its popular nebulae return.
In the southern hemisphere, this is the last chance to enjoy the heart of the Milky Way in the early evening before it disappears for several months. In the second half of the night, the Magellanic Clouds take over.
September 2026 astronomical calendar
It is recommended to observe nebulae and galaxies when the Moon is not visible. Its brightness diminishes the darkness of the sky and reduces the quality of observations of faint and diffuse objects.
Refer to the following calendar for the best days this month.
- September 4 - Last Quarter Moon
- September 11 - New Moon
- September 15 - The Orion Nebula returns to the morning sky
- September 18 - First Quarter Moon
- September 23 - September Equinox
- September 26 - Full Moon
Celestial Scene of the Month
Northern sky
The Andromeda Galaxy Group
The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) anchors one of the most rewarding wide-field targets in the entire sky: a giant spiral galaxy captured together with its two brightest satellites, M32 and M110, in a single composition. At approximately 2.5 million light-years, M31 is the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way and the most distant object visible to the naked eye. Together with the Milky Way, M32, M110, the Triangulum Galaxy (M33), and dozens of smaller dwarf galaxies, it forms the Local Group, our home galaxy cluster , making this one of the very few scenes in the sky where a genuinely physically associated group, not just objects sharing a line of sight, fits into one frame.
Southern sky
The Sculptor Galaxy NGC 288 Globular Cluster
The Sculptor Galaxy field pairs NGC 253, one of the brightest galaxies in the sky outside the Local Group, with the globular cluster NGC 288, lying roughly 1.8° to the south-southeast.
This is a foreground-background pairing, not a physical association: NGC 288 belongs to our own galaxy's halo at roughly 28,000–29,000 light-years, while NGC 253 lies approximately 11.4 million light-years away, some 400 times more distant. The two share only a line of sight.
The Sculptor Galaxy, is also nicknamed the Silver Coin or Silver Dollar Galaxy.
NGC 288 is a loose, sparse globular cluster
"Plan my Night" of the month
Suggested observation program you can automate with "Plan My Night."
Give each object as much observation time as you can to get the best results.
Northern sky
Do not use the dual band filter for this plan
Southern sky
Do not use the dual band filter for this plan
Around the full moon
During the few nights surrounding the full moon, it's best to focus on star clusters, which are less affected by the Moon’s light pollution.
Northern sky
Messier 15
A very dense globular cluster, one of the most concentrated in the Messier catalog. A rewarding target early on, which keeps improving with exposure time.
Constellation :Pegasus
Mag.: 6, angular size: 18'
Southern sky
47 Tucanae
One of the brightest and largest globular clusters in the sky. Star resolution is excellent even after a moderate exposure, with very high contrast. No filter. One of the most striking clusters observable with Vespera.
Constellation: Tucana
Mag.: 4, angular size: 50'
Challenging Target of the Month
Northern sky
The Flying Bat & The Giant Squid Nebulae (Sh2-129 & Ou4)
In southern Cepheus, two nebulae with dramatically different emission characteristics and origins overlap in the sky to create a visually striking narrowband composition: the Flying Bat Nebula is a large faint HII region glowing red in Hα; embedded within it, visible only in OIII, is the Giant Squid Nebula, a bipolar structure glowing blue-green. The contrast between the red bat and the blue-green squid in a single dual-band narrowband image is striking.
This is considered a "trophy target", very difficult, demanding, but extraordinarily rewarding when captured. A dual band filter is essential. Very long integration is needed to develop the bat's full extent and faint outer wings.
Angular size: 140' / 75'
Southern sky
Sculptor Pinwheel Galaxy - Caldwell 70
A face-on spiral with a deceptive magnitude: the core shows up fairly quickly, but the spiral arms have very low surface brightness and only emerge after long cumulative exposure. This target rewards patience more than its listed brightness suggests. No filter.
Constellation: Sculptor
Mag.: 8, angular size:22'x 15'
Magnitude and angular size reminder
