Astrophiz 241: September Sky Guide — Venus at Greatest Brilliancy & the Occultation of Antares

Dr Ian 'Astroblog' Musgrave returns with your essential guide to the September night sky — Venus at its greatest brilliancy (mag -4.5), the Moon's occultation of Antares, and Mercury lining up with Venus and Spica at dusk.

🔭 In this episode:

- Spring equinox (Sept 23) and an apogee First Quarter Moon

- Venus at greatest brilliancy, sinking toward evening twilight

- Mercury returns and lines up with Spica and Venus

- Saturn climbs toward October opposition; Mars crosses Gemini at dawn

- Comet 220P/McNaught's second outburst — still visible in binoculars

- T Coronae Borealis: still hasn't gone nova

- The occultation of Antares, Sept 17–18 (Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne)

- Deep-sky spotlight: Sagittarius and the triangle of globular clusters — M28, Omega Centauri, and 47 Tucanae

🌀 The Tangent: Ian traces the thousand-year argument over why Venus and Mercury never wander far from the Sun — from Ptolemy's epicycles to Tycho Brahe, Simon Marius, and Galileo's discovery of the phases of Venus.

Full transcript and show notes: https://astrophiz.com