Guy Ottewell’s insights on today’s autumnal equinox.

The equinox is September 22.

Equinox means “equal night.” And you might hear that day and night are equal at the equinoxes. Yet Earth’s atmosphere and our sun team up to give us more day than night at an equinox.

The zodiacal light is an eerie light extending up from the horizon before true dawn begins. Southern Hemisphere? Look after sunset!

Poor Capricornus. The early Greek stargazers labeled it as a Sea Goat, but no amount of squinting – or even imagining – can help you see a Goat in this part of the sky. In 2020, Jupiter and Saturn come to the rescue!

If you missed Mars last weekend near the moon, don’t worry. Mars is very bright and very red now. You can’t miss it in the night sky. By October, it’ll outshine Jupiter! Start watching it now, and enjoy the fun.

Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn are in the sky at dusk throughout September 2020, with Mercury hard to view from northerly latitudes. Bright Mars rises in the east in the early evening. Brilliant Venus rides high in the east in the hours before sunrise.

In 2020, the peak mornings for the Perseid meteor shower – August 11, 12 and 13 – will feature meteors under moonlight. Still, the Perseids are bright. We expect a good number to overcome the moonlight. Here’s how to optimize your chances.