The Sky Today on Thursday, September 24: Blue Neptune, yellow star
This article describes a celestial event on September 24, where Neptune will be visible near a fainter yellow background star, HIP 968, offering a colorful contrast. It provides details on how to locate Neptune using binoculars or a telescope, noting its position relative to the Moon and Saturn.
Why it matters
It offers practical guidance for amateur astronomers and sky-gazers to observe a specific planetary alignment, fostering interest in astronomy and providing an accessible celestial viewing opportunity.
Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.
Neptune stands close to a slightly fainter background star this evening, offering a colorful contrast between the two.
Just one day from opposition, Neptune rises around sunset and is 30° high in the southeast by 10 P.M. local daylight time. You can find it in southern Pisces, to the left of the Moon and to the right of bright Saturn, which is easily visible to the naked eye. Neptune itself, however, is invisible without optical aid — using binoculars or a telescope, scan about 9° west-southwest of Saturn to find the distant ice giant, glowing at magnitude 7.7. Its tiny, 2”-wide disk may look like a “flat,” grayish-blue star.
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