Spring · This month
September 2026
Times are computed for Coonabarabran / Siding Spring Observatory (SSO), latitude 31.27 south, longitude 149.06 east. Timezone Australia/Sydney. Early night means sunset until four hours after sunset. That is the window most guided night tours actually use.
Moon
Full Moon 27 September.
New Moon 11 September.
Dark nights 31 August to 14 September, then again after 30 September.
- 31 August to 14 September
- 30 September to 14 October
Mid Month Sky Snapshot
Sunset, twilight and the Moon on the 15th, from Siding Spring Observatory (SSO).
- Sunset
- 5:55 pm
- Civil twilight
- 6:19 pm
- Astronomical twilight
- 7:16 pm
- Moon on the 15th
- Waxing Crescent, 19% lit
- Moonrise
- 7:57 am
- Moonset
- 10:05 pm
Early night planets
Only planets that stand at least about 10 degrees above the horizon at some point between sunset and four hours after sunset. Morning-only planets are not listed.
Mercury. Low in the west after sunset. Catch it early.
Venus. Bright in the west after sunset.
Saturn. East later in the evening.
Worth looking at
Short list for the same early-night window. Objects operators actually point at, not a catalogue dump.
1. Milky Way / Celestial Emu
West through the early night.
Naked eye. Best on Dark Nights.
2. Southern Cross and Pointers
South-west after sunset.
Naked eye.
3. Omega Centauri
South-west after sunset.
A glow to the naked eye. Binoculars help.
4. Carina and Eta Carinae
South-west after sunset.
Naked eye. Binoculars help with the nebula.
5. Jewel Box
South-west after sunset.
Binoculars or a small telescope help.
6. Lagoon and Trifid
North-west through the early night.
Binoculars or a small telescope help.
This page is a sky clock. Pick your time to visit. We wish you clear skies. No guarantees with the weather.
Figures are for the 15th of the month.