Sun, Moon, and Stars: September 2002

Updated February 21, 2017 | Factmonster Staff Updated by an Factmonster Editor on February 21, 2017

Major phenomena

New Moon

First Quarter

Full Moon

Autumnal Equinox

Last Quarter

UT (universal time)

Other Months

Celestial Links

Astronomical terms

Sunrise/Sunset, Moonrise/Moonset

Equinoxes and Solstices

Eclipses in 2002

Calendar 2002

Universal Time

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September 2002—Week 1 (Sept. 1-5)

9/1:	0600 UT, 2 am EDT Venus is 0 degrees 9 minutes south of Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo. 1000 UT, 6 am EDT Mercury is at its greatest elongation, or angular distance from the Sun, at 27 degrees east of the Sun. 1700 UT, 1 pm EDT Saturn is 2 degrees south of the Moon.
9/4:	1300 UT, 9 am EDT Jupiter is 4 degrees south of the Moon.

September 2002—Week 2 (Sept. 6-12)

9/7:	0300 UT, 11 pm EDT (Sept. 6) NEW MOON
9/8:	0300 UT, 11 pm EDT (Sept. 7) The Moon is at its perigee, or closest point to Earth in its monthly orbit. 1700 UT, 1 pm EDT Mercury is 9 degrees south of the Moon.
9/10:	0200 UT, 10 pm EDT (Sept. 9) Venus is 8 degrees south of the Moon.
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September 2002—Week 3 (Sept. 13-19)

9/13:	1800 UT, 2 pm EDT FIRST QUARTER
9/14:	1400 UT, 10 am EDT Mercury appears to be motionless in the sky as its direct motion changes to apparent backward, or retrograde, motion.
9/17:	0900 UT, 5 am EDT Neptune is 4 degrees north of the Moon.
9/18:	1800 UT, 2 pm EDT Uranus is 4 degrees north of the Moon.
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September 2002—Week 4 (Sept. 20-26)

9/21:	1400 UT, 10 am EDT FULL MOON
9/23:	0300 UT, 11 pm EDT (Sept. 22) The Moon is at its apogee, or farthest point from Earth in its monthly orbit. 0500 UT, 1 am EDT Autumnal Equinox [more about the autumnal equinox]
9/26:	1100 UT, 7 am EDT Venus is at its greatest brilliancy.
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September 2002—Week 5 (Sept. 27-31)

9/27:	1900 UT, 3 pm EDT Mercury is in inferior conjunction, that is, the Sun and the Earth are aligned on opposite sides of Mercury.
9/29:	0300 UT, 11 pm EDT (Sept. 28) Saturn is 3 degrees south of the Moon. 1700 UT, 1 pm EDT LAST QUARTER
9/30:	0000 UT, 8 pm EDT (Sept. 29) Pallas, the second-largest asteroid, appears to be motionless in the sky as its apparent backward, or retrograde, motion changes back to direct motion.
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