During the mid and late evening hours of September and October, the stars of the autumn season cover much of the eastern and southern regions of the night sky. This whole area is often referred to as the "Celestial Sea" because many of the constellations have an association with water. The four constellations of Aquila, Aquarius, Capricornus, and Delphinus lie relatively close to each other along the southern horizon in an expanse of the sky which is almost devoid of bright, deep sky objects. Within the constellation Piscis Austrinus or Southern Fishes lays the “Lonely Star of Autumn”. Fomalhaut (FO-mal-ought) is the lone bright star in this part of the sky and can only be observed with an unobstructed, clear view of the southern horizon. For observers at mid-northern latitudes Fomalhaut stands due south around 11:00 p.m. in early October (10:00 p.m. at mid-month). …show more content…
Perhaps the most conspicuous constellation of a northern autumn is Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek legend. The central, “Great Square” of Pegasus lies high to the south in mid-November. Above and to the east of Pegasus is the constellation Andromeda, which harbors the nearest major galaxy to our own, the Andromeda Galaxy (M31). It is easily seen with the unaided eye as a faint, hazy patch above the star Mirach. The W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia, above Andromeda, offers many fine star clusters to an observer with binoculars or a telescope. A good star chart lends a welcome hand to identifying autumns many celestial