September is all about the planets.

We’ll be able to see Mars, Jupiter and a very bright Venus in our night sky. All three of them are easily visible to the unaided eye if you know where to look.

Starting early next week, you’ll be able to see the very thin crescent moon pairing up with Mars and then Jupiter in the pre-dawn sky. Use the moon as a marker and starting point because it’s much easier to see at first glance.

Then on Sunday morning, go out and look to the East about an hour or so before sunrise. Both the moon and Mars will be in the constellation Gemini. Both objects will rise after about 1:30 a.m. and will continue to get higher in the sky. At 4 a.m., Jupiter will rise above the eastern horizon. If you have a wide-open view of the entire sky, you might just be able to see all three at once.

On the following morning on Labor Day, all three celestial objects will once again be visible, but this time the moon will be below Mars. By Tuesday morning, the moon will get much closer to Jupiter, and it will be lower in the sky.

Next week, the moon will reemerge after the new moon in the night sky as a very thin crescent and pair up with a very bright Venus. More to come!