The September 2026 night sky: what to see this month
September's night-sky highlights — a dark New-Moon window on the 11th, and how to plan around them.
Here's what's worth looking up for in September 2026 — the Moon's dark window, the meteor showers and eclipses to plan around, and the constellations and Milky Way on show.
These are the month's globally-true highlights. For the exact times the sky goes dark, the Moon rises and sets, and each target is best placed from your own spot, let Stella compute it for your location.
The Moon: your dark-sky window
The Moon is the biggest lever on what's visible. Your darkest skies fall around the New Moon on Sep 11 — plan Milky Way and deep-sky nights for the week around it. The Full Moon on Sep 26 floods the sky, so switch then to the Moon itself, the planets, and double stars.
- Last Quarter — Sep 4
- New Moon — Sep 11
- First Quarter — Sep 18
- Full Moon — Sep 26
What else is up
The Summer Triangle still rules early evening as Pegasus and Andromeda climb in the east.
The Milky Way is in season — from a Bortle 4 or darker site, away from town glow, its band shows real structure to the naked eye (and is far more dramatic from the southern hemisphere).
Which planets are well placed, and exactly when each target rises and sets, depends on your date and location — Stella computes that for your sky so you're not trusting a one-size-fits-all chart.
Stop guessing what tonight holds — Stella reads your sky and tells you when to go.
Coming soon —Get early access