GLENWOOD WASHINGTON
WEATHER
Glenwood, WA is located
in the northwestern portion of
Klickitat County. It borders Yakima County.
The community is in the Glenwood Valley, formerly known as Camas Prairie. We have a splendid view of
Mt Adams.
Even though the mountain appears to be in our back yard,
it is actually in Yakima and Skamania counties.
Lat: 46.0095°N Lon: 121.2715°W
The elevation of my weather station is 1854 ft.
This site is slowly under re-construction
WHAT'S IN THE SKY?
JIM WHITE IS KLICKITAT COUNTY'S LOCAL ASTRONOMER. HE AND HIS WIFE KATHY LIVE IN TROUT LAKE, WA. EACH MONTH HE WRITES A NEWS ARTICLE INFORMING US WHAT WILL BE ON VIEW IN OUR SKIES
What’s in the Sky
September 2023
Our last month of summer is here. Fall begins on the autumnal equinox, this year on September 22. On that date, day and night length are approximately equal, and the Sun is directly overhead at the equator. Our sunrise occurs at about 6:52am that day, with sunset at about 7:03pm.
September is one of my favorite months for seeing the night sky. Weather is still mostly fair, and nights are mostly comfortable. Darkness comes earlier, and you don’t need to stay up as late to see the night sky. Sky transparency is usually good, with little water vapor in the atmosphere.
This September will be a good month to view the solar system’s two “gas giants”, Saturn and Jupiter. Saturn is about as close as it gets to us, having made its closest approach in late August. Even though it is a bit farther away in September, it will be higher in the evening sky, and easier to see. Saturn will be low in the southeast and southern sky, in the constellation Aquarius. More about that later. Jupiter will peek over the eastern horizon at about 11pm in early September, and will be in the eastern sky throughout the month, a bit higher each night. Jupiter will be in the constellation Aries, the Ram.
Venus is now the “morning star”, visible in early morning hours. Look for it in the eastern sky before dawn. After about the 20th, look for another bright “star” below and to the left of Venus – the planet Mercury.
September begins with our Moon in a waning gibbous state, low in the east after 9pm. New Moon comes on the 14th, will full Moon on the 29th. On Labor Day the Moon will lie just to the left of Jupiter, between the planet and the bright star cluster Pleiades. On the 11th, the faint waning crescent Moon will lie to the left and above Venus in the morning sky. The Moon will re-enter the evening sky later in the month. Find the waxing gibbous Moon just below Saturn on the 26th.
The Summer Milky Way and summer constellations continue to dominate the evening sky in September, with the “summer triangle” of bright stars Vega, Altair, and Deneb high overhead. Vega will be the brightest – it is only exceeded in our sky by Sirius, which is visible in winter, and Arcturus, which will be low in the west during September. If you face south and look up to find Vega, look to the left to see Deneb, and down and to the left to find Altair.
As mentioned before, Saturn lies in the constellation Aquarius in September, providing a good time to view the faint constellation. Pick a night with clear skies, away from lights, and no Moon to interfere, such as in the middle of the month. Locate Saturn, and find the stars of Aquarius above the planet. Aquarius’ brightest two stars, Sadakmalik and Sadalsuud, lie about 10 degrees above Saturn. If you extend your arm and make a fist, your fist will cover about 10 degrees. Although the stars are not bright as we see them, they are quite luminous. Sadalsuud, is 2,200 times as luminous as our sun (and 50 times the diameter), and lies some 615 light-years away. Alpha Aquarii, Sadalmalik, is 6.5 times as massive as the Sun, and lies some 759 light-years from us. It is 3,000 times as luminous. The tow stars appear faint simply because of their great distance from us. See if you can locate them!
