Aloha everybody! This will be my final Skywatch article. I am delighted, and a little wistful, to announce that I have accepted a position at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, N.J., across from lower Manhattan. Liberty Science Center is renovating its IMAX Dome into the largest planetarium in the Western Hemisphere, and I will become its new planetarium director as of Sept. 5.

Coming from Seattle to Bishop Museum in 1999, I discovered immediately that interpreting astronomy in the Hawaiian Islands — via a planetarium show, a Skywatch article or a “real astronomy” special event — meant offering the public something they really wanted. Hawaii’s deep connections to astronomy meant that residents and visitors alike were drawn to the stars over the islands.

In terms of reaching an immediate and enthusiastic audience, I was spoiled by starting at Bishop Museum in the planetarium field. While the later experiences of being education director, exhibit director and visitor experience director led to great new challenges, I never had such as easy “sell” as promoting astronomy here. There has always been a special bond between the museum’s planetarium and its audiences.

Due in part to this, the state of Hawaii funded a complete renovation of the museum’s Watumull Planetarium in 2012. The renovation brought our venerable dome into the 21st century with immersive full-dome video and a state-of-the-art star machine. That, in turn, allowed us to create astronomy experiences that drew upon all the resources of a modern immersive dome, from creating the world’s first immersive full-dome video program on Pacific navigation (“The Wayfinders,” 2013), to alternating live and “movie” elements into a single show, to incorporating lasers, live theater and live music into our programs. It’s been wonderful being able to write this column, to plan these astronomy events and to manage this dome in Honolulu; it will also be an exciting challenge to extend the lessons learned in our island dome to the vast canvas of the new Liberty Science Center planetarium theater.

September planets

Jupiter, shining brightly, has been our constant evening companion this summer; but its days are numbered. In early September, Jupiter is still clearly visible, but it’s low in the west. Look for Jupiter about 20 degrees above the west horizon (the width of two palms) at dusk; the planet sets by 9 p.m. By mid-month Jupiter sets by 8 p.m., and by month’s end, the planet sets as it gets dark, ending its reign as king of the summer sky. Jupiter will be missing in our skies for October, but returns in mid-November.

Saturn is high in the southwest at dusk in September. The yellow-white planet is about one fist’s diameter to the left of Antares, the orange Mars-like star that is the brightest star in Scorpius. Saturn sets in the west at midnight in early September. By the end of the month, look for Saturn in the southeast at dusk; it will set just before 10:30 p.m. Look for a wide crescent moon above Saturn on Sept. 26.

In early September, Venus rises right around 4 a.m. and is about a quarter of the way up in the east at daybreak. By the end of the month, the planet does not rise until 4:40 a.m. While it rises later and later, Venus will remain in this role as a predawn beacon all the way until the end of October.

Mars finally returns to the night sky in mid-September, low in the east at daybreak. While the planet is still faint, it appears close to Mercury, and that can be your guide. From Sept. 10 to 15, with a flat eastern horizon, look for a bright Mercury rising at 5 a.m.

You’ll have only about 40 minutes to see it until daybreak washes it out, but Mercury shines brightly. This early in the game, you will probably only be able to see Mars if you scan the sky below Mercury with binoculars.

On the morning of Sept. 16, Mercury and Mars will appear close together. Search the eastern sky around 5:30 a.m., again looking over a flat horizon. On Sept. 18, still around 5:30 a.m., a crescent moon will appear above the two planets.

As the month goes on, Mars seems a little higher every morning, and Mercury a little lower. On Sept. 24, with a flat eastern horizon, you will be able to see the planets Mercury, Mars and Venus spaced out equally; Mercury just rising, Mars in the middle, blazing Venus on top. After Sept. 24, it will become harder to catch Mercury’s rise before day breaks. Mars meanwhile seems to draw nearer to Venus every morning, heading for a beautiful gathering of the two planets in early October.

September sky map

The map for September 2017 is good for 10 p.m. at the start of the month, 9 p.m. in the middle of the month, and 8 p.m. at the end.

On this map, the constellation of Scorpius the Scorpion is setting in the southwestern sky. These bright stars of Scorpius make a pattern that really does look like a scorpion. Scorpius also looks like Maui’s Fishhook, the hook that Maui used the pull the Hawaiian Islands from the bottom of the ocean.

Overhead is the Summer Triangle, three bright stars — Vega, the brightest in the triangle, in Lyra the Harp; Altair in Aquila the Eagle and Deneb in Cygnus the Swan.

Editor’s note: Starting next month, astronomers from the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii in Hilo will write the monthly Skywatch column.