The Northern Hemisphere

Aquarius and Pegasus grace the skies going into September

With the Sun setting not long after 19:00 this month, rich pickings can be had by those with even modest observing equipment. The end of September affords a last chance to catch the likes of Cygnus (the Swan) and Capricornus (the Sea Goat) and their wealth of deep-sky objects.

Look out for the ‘Great Square’ of Pegasus (the Winged Horse) rising in the west, while Cepheus (the King) appears in the northwest. In both a selection of binary stars can be split using small telescopes. Aquarius (the Water Bearer), Taurus (the Bull) and Orion (the Hunter) offer globular and open clusters along with glowing star-forming regions, which are a breeze to pick up through binoculars and even the naked eye with low light pollution.