The proximity to the waning moon offers a good opportunity for spotting them. To the naked eye, they will appear as a small group of bright points next to the moon, as if they were diamonds. Binoculars will allow you to make out many more. The encounter will happen again on September 30, when the two objects will once more be separated by just one degree.

A Modest Meteor Shower: September 9 and 10

September also has its own meteor shower. The Epsilon Perseids will peak between September 9 and 10, producing up to eight meteors per hour.

The number of meteors is lower than that of the famous Perseids in August. However, this shower has one advantage: its peak will occur just two days before the new moon, making the sky ideally dark for viewing.

Conditions will be especially favorable from the northern hemisphere, and, as with any meteor shower, it is recommended to find a dark location away from light pollution.

Venus at Its Brightest: September 22

Venus is usually one of the easiest objects to spot in the night sky, but toward the end of September it will shine even brighter. The planet will reach an apparent magnitude of approximately -4.8. By comparison, the full moon has a magnitude of -12.7, and Sirius—considered the brightest star in the sky—barely reaches -1.46.

Look for the plane...