Minnesota Starwatch for September

This September, the sun isn’t the only bright object dropping in the sky. Venus also follows a steady course downward.

Venus is now a bright beacon low in the eastern predawn sky. On Sept. 1, Venus, Jupiter and the star Procyon, in Canis Minor, will form a nearly equilateral triangle with Jupiter at the top. And Sirius, in Canis Major, will be lower and to the south. This is another good time to compare Venus, the brightest planet, with Sirius, the brightest star.

But Venus’s orbital motion will soon carry it behind the sun. Don’t miss its show on Sept. 19. On that morning, Venus, a thin waning moon, and the bright star Regulus, in Leo, the lion, appear in a tight group just above the horizon, like a welcoming party for the sun.

In the evening sky, Saturn stands out among the relatively