🌓 First Quarter Moon
📅 30 Sept 2025 | 🕔 05:24 IST
🌙 The Moon reaches its halfway point — exactly half-illuminated and shining bright in the evening sky!
📍 From New Delhi:
🔹 Rises: 13:18
🔹 Sets: 23:08
🔭 Best view: Sunset to midnight
✨ A perfect night for lunar watching — with craters & shadows beautifully defined!
🌌✨ 47 Tucanae – Globular Glory!
📅 27 Sept 2025
💫 The second brightest globular cluster in the night sky, 47 Tuc (NGC 104, mag 4.0), is now well placed in the constellation Tucana 🐧
🔭 Best visible around midnight from the Southern Hemisphere
📍 Declination: 72°S — not visible from India or locations north of 2°S
🔎 A faint sparkle to the naked eye in dark skies, but a stunning view through binoculars or a telescope!
🌕✨ Lunar Occultation of Antares
📅 27–28 Sept 2025
🕓 21:39 IST – 01:31 IST
🌙 The Moon will pass in front of Antares (Alpha Scorpii) — the heart of Scorpius — in a stunning celestial event!
📍 Visible from:
Antarctica, NW French Southern Territories & Bouvet Island
❌ Not visible from India
💫 A close conjunction between the Moon & Antares will still be seen across much of the world — a must-watch pairing in Scorpius ♏
🔭 Best viewed with binoculars for a sparkling edge!
🌕📏 Moon at Apogee
📅 26 Sept 2025 | 🕒 15:15 IST
🌙 The Moon reaches its furthest point from Earth – about 406,700 km away!
🔁 Its orbit is an ellipse, not a perfect circle — that’s why the Moon sometimes looks slightly smaller in the sky.
✨ Angular size: ~29.4 arcmin (vs. 33.5 at closest)
🌓 A subtle shift, but a key part of the Moon’s monthly journey.
🌙☀️ Moon at Perihelion
📅 25 Sept 2025 | 🕓 03:15 IST
✨ The Moon reaches its closest point to the Sun – just 1.0008 AU away!
🌍 Earth–Moon distance: 404,000 km
☀️ Earth–Sun distance at this time: 1.0030 AU
🔄 This cosmic moment happens near New Moon, as the Moon slips between Earth and Sun, hidden in glare.
📏 A subtle shift in space — but a key part of the Moon’s orbital dance!
🌌🔭 NGC 55 – Galaxy Watch!
📅 24 Sept 2025
🕛 Best time: Around midnight IST
✨ The barred irregular galaxy NGC 55 (mag 8.2) in Sculptor is now well placed for viewing!
📍 From New Delhi:
🕐 Visible: 00:04 – 00:44 IST
🔭 Altitude: ~21°–22° (South)
🌍 Best viewed from the Southern Hemisphere
🔎 Not visible to the naked eye, but a treat through binoculars or small telescopes!
Catch this faint galaxy while it’s high in the sky!
🌙🔴 Moon–Mars Conjunction
📅 24 Sept 2025 | 🕗 20:21 IST
✨ A young crescent Moon (3 days old) pairs up with fiery Mars in the constellation Virgo ♍
🔭 Separated by 3°56′ — perfect for naked-eye or binocular viewing!
🔴 Mars (mag 1.6)
🌙 Moon (mag -9.7)
💫 Look west after sunset for this celestial meetup!
🔵✨ Neptune at Opposition
📅 23 Sept 2025 | 🕕 18:15 IST
📍 Visible from New Delhi: 20:00 – 04:33 IST
🔭 Neptune is opposite the Sun and closest to Earth, shining all night in Pisces ♓
🪐 Best time to spot this distant blue world!
🌌 Viewing Highlights:
🔹 Rises: 20:00 (East)
🔹 Peaks: 00:17 – 60° high (South)
🔹 Sets: 04:33 (West)
📷 A telescope is a must — catch a glimpse of the solar system’s most elusive giant!
🌍☀️ September Equinox
📅 22 Sept 2025 | 🕛 23:50 IST
🍂 Autumn begins in the Northern Hemisphere
🌱 Spring begins in the Southern Hemisphere
🔄 Day and night are nearly equal worldwide
🌅 Sun rises exactly in the east, sets exactly in the west
📖 Equinox comes from Latin:
aequus = equal | nox = night
✨ A perfect balance of light and dark — only twice a year!
🌑 New Moon
📅 22 Sept 2025 | 🕐 01:25 IST
✨ A fresh lunar cycle begins!
The Moon aligns between the Earth and Sun, lost in sunlight and invisible to the naked eye. 🌞🌍🌙
🔄 This phase marks the start of the 29.5-day lunar journey through its changing shapes — from crescent to full and back again.
🌓 Each night, the Moon will rise later, slowly growing and glowing into the night sky.
