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14 | THE COLONY NEWS | SEPTEMBER 2022 | By Mike Vergara, 951- 461-2889 September? Check. Shorter days and longer nights? Check. Cooler? Don't you wish? This month heralds the changing of the seasons from Summer to Autumn. That means the autumnal equinox is almost here. The word "equinox" is derived from Latin and roughly means that the day and night are of equal duration. The timings are not exact due to multiple factors, but it's close. On the day of the equinox, the sun rises and sets directly east and west, respectively. This year, the equinox occurs at 6:03 pm on Thursday, September 22. Last month, Saturn was at opposition (I explained "opposition" last month). Saturn is now high in the sky around 9 pm. This month it is Jupiter that is becoming big and bright. Jupiter's opposition is on Monday, the 26th, when it will rise at sunset and be high enough to see at 9 pm. This month's full moon happens on Saturday, the 10th, and gets two names! It was known as the "Full Corn Moon" because it's during this time that the corn was ripened and ready for harvest. It is also the "Harvest Moon" for 2022. The Harvest Moon is the full moon that is closest to the equinox. Sometimes it's in September and sometimes it's in October. On Monday, Sept. 26, NASA's DART spacecraft will impact an asteroid called Didymos. Why? To test whether we can change the orbit of an asteroid. Why? In case we discover a potential Earth-impacting asteroid and want to change its orbit. As I write this in early August, there is a possibility that the Palomar College Planetarium will be re-opening in mid-to-late September. The college shut everything down in March of 2020 due to COVID. Now, after some upgrades and repairs, we're almost ready to open. We have regularly scheduled shows every Friday night, where we talk about "The Sky Tonight." Visit http://skymaps.com/index.html to print your own map of the sky for the month. For information about satellites or the ISS, go to https://heavens-above.com. Clear skies! september Sky september Sky Gayle Brewer Manfred Baum In Memoriam