Meteor showers, planets and supermoons to see in September

August proved to be a fantastic month for stargazers with multiple meteor showers peaking above the UK, and not just one but two supermoons.

And the good times look set to keep rolling as the September night skies are set to be just as spectacular.

These are the events to keep an eye out for in the skies above the UK this month.

Meteor showers

Multiple meteor showers will reach their peak in September, including the Aurigid meteor shower, which will be at its most active on September 1.

The ε-Perseid meteor shower will then reach its peak on September 9.

The Daytime Sextantid meteor shower will be active from September 9 to October 9, producing its peak rate of meteors around 28 September.

Planets

There will be a chance to spot Jupiter, Uranus, Mercury and Neptune in September.

There will be a good chance to spot Uranus and Jupiter neat the moon on September 5, while September 20 offers the best chance of spotting Mercury this month.

Neptune will also appear close and become visible on September 22.

Supermoon

The final supermoon of the year will also happen in September.

The fourth and final supermoon of 2023 will appear on September 29.

The phenomenon occurs when a full moon is near its closest point to Earth, making it seem bigger and brighter than a usual full moon.

The moon will be located 222,000 miles from Earth, as opposed to 252,000 miles when it is at its furthest point from the planet.

Advising people how to spot the supermoon, Royal Museums Greenwich says: “So long as there’s not too much cloud, the full Moon will be an unmistakable white orb in the sky. This is a good opportunity to use a small telescope or a pair of binoculars to see the Moon’s detailed surface, or even try taking a few interesting moon photos.

“However, you can see the Moon perfectly well with just your eyes. Seeing moonrise just after sunset or moonset just before sunrise will be an impressive sight as it will appear enormous compared to the surrounding landscape.

“This is due to an optical illusion. During moonrise, the Moon looks bigger than it is because our brain doesn’t understand that the sky is a dome. It falsely projects things near the horizon to appear larger than they actually are.”