4. NORTH AND NORTHEAST

As we turn towards the northeast, let’s follow the line of Andromeda’s stars downwards and to the left, to Perseus and its brightest star Mirfak. As we continue down that line towards the horizon we can look for the gorgeous yellow star Capella (the brightest in the constellation of Auriga) and the Pleiades Cluster, M45, just a short way above the horizon as September progresses. It won’t be long before they’re high above us on another freezing January night, along with the rest of the bright winter lights, but September gives us a sneak preview as they make their way higher into the nights.

From here it’s just a short turn back to where we started, the Plough. September is a time of change in the weather and in the skies. We hope you enjoyed this hop around the stars and you’ll be inspired to take a look at these sights this month.

▲ Though we usually think of Capella and the Pleiades as winter stars, they start to rise higher into the skies this month. Few things in the night sky are more amazing than the Pleiades through a pair of binoculars.