Monday 6th to Sunday 12th September 2021
It's a week of visual challenges this time, starting with trying to spot a less than 1%-lit Crescent Moon on Monday 6th. You'll need to be looking towards the east around 5.30am, before the Sun rises and the Moon will be close to the horizon.
If you don't fancy an early start, there is another opportunity on the evening of Tuesday 7th. This time, the less than 1%-lit Moon sets in the west about half an hour after the Sun.
If you have binoculars or a small telescope, there is the chance to see an asteroid or minor planet called 2 Pallas. It is known as one of the "Big Four" asteroids that were first-observed in the early 1800s. Charles Messier spotted it twenty years earlier while tracking a comet, but he thought it was a star and moved on!
The asteroid has a mean diameter of just over 500km and is made of silicate material with little Iron, which gives it a bluish tint when observed. It is believed to have a tiny 1km diameter moon orbiting around it.
The best evening to see the asteroid is Saturday 11th when it is at opposition, or in other words, its brightest at a magnitude of around +8.5. Look to the south east from around 9pm and 2 Pallas will be located between the constellations of Pisces and Aquarius. As it's quite hard to find, I have produced a star chart to help you.
As the month progresses, each night 2 Pallas will appear slightly dimmer and closer to Aquarius.
Screenshots courtesy of Stellarium
Copyright Adrian Dening and Radio Ninesprings 2021
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