Star Almanack
Alexander Ferrari Miller

ISO 2026-W40

Week begins: Monday, September 28, 2026

Notation:

Calendar

DateZodiac dayEvents
Mon, Sep 28, 2026♎ 6
Alderamin (α Cep) — Naked eye 2 — Northern Autumn
Tue, Sep 29, 2026♎ 7
β Equ — Binoculars 5 — Tropical Autumn
Wed, Sep 30, 2026♎ 8
Thu, Oct 1, 2026♎ 9
Alfirk (β Cep) — Naked eye 3 — Arctic Autumn
M15 — Telescope 6 — Tropical Autumn
Fri, Oct 2, 2026♎ 10
Sadalsuud (β Aqr) — Naked eye 3 — Tropical Autumn
M39 — Telescope 5 — Northern Autumn
M2 — Telescope 7 — Tropical Autumn
Sat, Oct 3, 2026♎ 11
🌗 Last Quarter — 13:25:04 UTC
Sun, Oct 4, 2026♎ 12
M30 — Telescope 7 — Tropical Autumn

Weekly Solar-System Ephemeris

Snapshot: Week begins September 28, 2026, 00:00 UTC.

(-90° to +90°; defaults +45°, 21:00 LAT)

Notation:
Body☉︎☽︎☿︎♀︎♂︎♃︎♄︎
Ecliptic♎︎ 4°54′
β +0°00′		♈︎ 21°28′
β +4°05′		♎︎ 26°37′
β −1°23′		♏︎ 7°58′
β −6°46′		♋︎ 29°56′
β +0°58′		♌︎ 19°03′
β +0°35′		♈︎ 11°49′
β −2°43′
ObservingNightNaked eye -12.3Naked eye -0.1Naked eye -4.8Naked eye 1.1Naked eye -1.9Naked eye 0.4
Rise06:0218:0308:0209:1900:1601:5918:18
Set17:5807:4818:3518:3115:2616:1806:41

Extended targets:

Body⚳︎♅︎♆︎♇︎
Ecliptic♋︎ 15°16′
β +0°34′		♊︎ 5°34′
β −0°09′		♈︎ 2°57′
β −1°25′		♒︎ 3°09′
β −4°18′
ObservingTelescope 8.7Binoculars 5.7Telescope 7.7TelescopeTelescope 14.5
Rise23:0320:2317:5315:48
Set14:3411:3105:5700:28

β = ecliptic latitude (+ north, − south).
Rise and set are Local Apparent Time for the selected latitude.
Naked-eye observing uses the Sun’s altitude at the selected Monday observer time: Daylight (Sun ≥ −0.833°), Civil twilight (−0.833° to −6°), Nautical twilight (−6° to −12°), Astronomical twilight (−12° to −18°), and Night (below −18°).
Solar Glare identifies a body too close to the Sun when the sky-state rule does not already supersede its naked-eye classification.
The Sun’s observing status uses this same five-state sky classification.

Notation:

Planet Finder

Planet Finder — Greek / Symbols
Greek / Symbols
Planet Finder — English
English
Planet Finder — Mixed Learner
Mixed Learner

Sky Notes

Kilroy: Sky Notes · generated 2026-10-22 04:11:57 UTC

View:

ISO 2026-W40 runs from September 28 through October 4. Mercury is about 2.8° in ecliptic longitude from Spica in Virgo. Uranus is about 4.2° in ecliptic longitude from Aldebaran in Taurus.

Naked eye: 🌗 Last Quarter — 13:25:04 UTC. Moderate moonlight makes timing and local sky position important for faint targets. Use Alderamin, Alfirk, Sadalsuud as the week’s fixed-sky framework.

Alderamin: The Bright Star of Cepheus — An illuminating guide to the characteristics and significance of this notable celestial beacon.

Alfirk: A luminous beacon in Cepheus — Discover the characteristics and significance of this prominent star.

Sadalsuud: The Star of Fortunes in Aquarius — A detailed look at the luminous star Sadalsuud, its place in the constellation Aquarius, and its significance in the night sky.

Planets: Moon: Naked eye; magnitude -12.3; direct motion; 97.8% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Conjunction with Ceres in ecliptic longitude Oct 04 00:29 UTC. Conjunction with Uranus in ecliptic longitude Oct 01 02:42 UTC. Mercury: Naked eye; magnitude -0.1; direct motion; 80.2% illuminated. Below the horizon at 21:00 local apparent solar time, 45°N. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Venus: Naked eye; magnitude -4.8; direct motion; 17.7% illuminated. Below the horizon at 21:00 local apparent solar time, 45°N. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Station Oct 03 07:15 UTC: turns retrograde. Mars: Naked eye; magnitude 1.1; direct motion; 90.6% illuminated. Below the horizon at 21:00 local apparent solar time, 45°N. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Ceres: Telescope; magnitude 8.7; direct motion; 96.5% illuminated. Below the horizon at 21:00 local apparent solar time, 45°N. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Conjunction with Moon in ecliptic longitude Oct 04 00:29 UTC. Jupiter: Naked eye; magnitude -1.9; direct motion; 99.5% illuminated. Below the horizon at 21:00 local apparent solar time, 45°N. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Saturn: Naked eye; magnitude 0.4; retrograde motion; 100.0% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Opposition in ecliptic longitude Oct 04 12:29 UTC. Uranus: Binoculars; magnitude 5.7; retrograde motion; 99.9% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Conjunction with Moon in ecliptic longitude Oct 01 02:42 UTC. Neptune: Telescope; magnitude 7.7; retrograde motion; 100.0% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Pluto: Substantial telescope; magnitude 14.5; retrograde motion; 100.0% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot.

Binoculars: Trace Equuleus’s charted figure in the finder, then identify β Equ at its charted position.

Beta Equulei: A Stellar Beacon in the Constellation Equuleus — An exploration of one of the notable stars nestled within the faint constellation of Equuleus, highlighting its characteristics and significance.

Small telescope: Great Pegasus Globular: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; M39: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; M2: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; M30: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance

A star swarm with something strange at its heart — M15 is one of the densest globular clusters known, an ancient swarm whose brilliant center is crowded on a scale the quiet binocular glow does not suggest.

A cluster that wants a wide field — M39 is an open cluster whose loose bright stars make more sense together than they do one at a time.

A comet hunter found a city of 150,000 stars — M2 can look like a small misty ball, but the haze is the unresolved light of more than 150,000 stars bound together by gravity.

The cluster that sorted its stars by weight — M30 is an ancient globular cluster whose crowded history has literally rearranged its stellar population.

Substantial telescope: No fixed-sky Calendar object is classified as requiring a substantial telescope this week.

Other objects listed this week: None

Mercury

Mercury: naked eye at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 25.9° below the horizon. Rises 08:02; sets 18:35 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude -0.1. The disk is 80.2% illuminated (gibbous). It is 21.8° from the Sun, on its east side. Motion is direct at 1.384° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Spica, 2.5° away. Mercury: 2.5° from Spica in the Pathfinder.

Venus

Venus: naked eye at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 25.6° below the horizon. Rises 09:19; sets 18:31 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude -4.8. The disk is 17.7% illuminated (crescent). It is 33.7° from the Sun, on its east side. Motion is direct at 0.196° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Zubenelgenubi, 10.3° away. Station Oct 03 07:15 UTC: turns retrograde. Venus: 10.3° from Zubenelgenubi in the Pathfinder.

Moon

Moon: naked eye at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 30.4° above the horizon. Rises 18:03; sets 07:48 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude -12.3. The disk is 97.8% illuminated (waning gibbous). It is 162.9° from the Sun, on its west side. Motion is direct at 13.902° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Sheratan, 13.5° away. Conjunction with Ceres in ecliptic longitude Oct 04 00:29 UTC. Conjunction with Uranus in ecliptic longitude Oct 01 02:42 UTC. Moon: 13.5° from Sheratan in the Pathfinder.

Mars

Mars: naked eye at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 22.0° below the horizon. Rises 00:16; sets 15:26 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude 1.1. The disk is 90.6% illuminated (gibbous). It is 65.0° from the Sun, on its west side. Motion is direct at 0.589° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Pollux, 8.5° away. Mars: 8.5° from Pollux in the Pathfinder.

Jupiter

Jupiter: naked eye at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 29.2° below the horizon. Rises 01:59; sets 16:18 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude -1.9. The disk is 99.5% illuminated (nearly full). It is 45.8° from the Sun, on its west side. Motion is direct at 0.183° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Acubens, 7.6° away. Jupiter: 7.6° from Acubens in the Pathfinder.

Saturn

Saturn: naked eye at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 27.1° above the horizon. Rises 18:18; sets 06:41 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude 0.4. The disk is 100.0% illuminated (nearly full). It is 172.6° from the Sun, on its west side. Motion is retrograde at 0.078° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Alrescha, 18.9° away. Opposition in ecliptic longitude Oct 04 12:29 UTC. Saturn: 18.9° from Alrescha in the Pathfinder.

Uranus

Uranus: binoculars at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 5.3° above the horizon. Rises 20:23; sets 11:31 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude 5.7. The disk is 99.9% illuminated (nearly full). It is 119.3° from the Sun, on its west side. Motion is retrograde at 0.014° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Aldebaran, 7.0° away. Conjunction with Moon in ecliptic longitude Oct 01 02:42 UTC. Uranus: 7.0° from Aldebaran in the Pathfinder.

Neptune

Neptune: telescope at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 30.5° above the horizon. Rises 17:53; sets 05:57 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude 7.7. The disk is 100.0% illuminated (nearly full). It is 177.6° from the Sun, on its east side. Motion is retrograde at 0.028° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Fumalsamakah, 17.4° away. Neptune: 17.4° from Fumalsamakah in the Pathfinder.

Ceres

Ceres: telescope at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 15.5° below the horizon. Rises 23:03; sets 14:34 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude 8.7. The disk is 96.5% illuminated (gibbous). It is 79.6° from the Sun, on its west side. Motion is direct at 0.276° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Alhena, 9.3° away. Conjunction with Moon in ecliptic longitude Oct 04 00:29 UTC. Ceres: 9.3° from Alhena in the Pathfinder.

Pluto

Pluto: substantial telescope at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 20.3° above the horizon. Rises 15:48; sets 00:28 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude 14.5. The disk is 100.0% illuminated (nearly full). It is 118.2° from the Sun, on its east side. Motion is retrograde at 0.008° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Dabih, 9.0° away. Pluto: 9.0° from Dabih in the Pathfinder.