This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2026 September 26 – October 3
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2026 September 26 – October 3
The Major League Baseball playoff season kicks off, or rather throws out the first pitch, this week and they always arrange to have the Great Square of Pegasus form a diamond in the eastern sky for evening games. At home plate is Algenib, the third brightest star of the constellation. Who’s on first? Yes, that is Markab, the brightest star of Pegasus. On second base we have its second brightest luminary, Sheat, which is probably what he mutters when he makes an error. On third is a star brighter than the other three, Alpheratz, who was traded to Andromeda but still likes to whip the ball around the horn with his former teammates.
Trailing off toward the dugout from third is a string of stars that forms the left side of Princess Andromeda. The second in the string is no second string player. Mirach is as bright as Alpheratz and shows a distinct orange colour in binoculars. A little more than one binocular field above the string from Mirach will bring M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, into your view, and from a dark sky that is a view you don’t want to miss. It might resemble a pool of champagne on the clubhouse floor of the World Series champions. Why am I seeing more blue jays at my feeder?
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 7:11 and sunset will occur at 7:08, giving 11 hours, 57 minutes of daylight (7:16 and 7:13 in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:20 and set at 6:55, giving 11 hours, 35 minutes of daylight (7:24 and 7:00 in Saint John).
The full Harvest Moon occurs this Saturday, a period of a few days when moonrise times are only 20-30 minutes later, and it is at third quarter next Saturday. Mercury and Venus are very low in the southwest, setting about a half hour after sunset. Saturn is nearing opposition, rising soon after sunset and becoming a prime evening target in telescopes. Mars extends its line-up with Castor and Pollux in the morning sky over the week as it moves toward Jupiter, which rises around 3 am next weekend.
Tune in to the Sunday Night Astronomy Show at 8 pm on the Facebook page or YouTube site of Astronomy by the Bay. The Saint John Astronomy Club meets in the Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre on October 3 at 7 pm.