September marks the beginning of what stargazers recognize as the best time of year for exploring the night sky. The cool dry air makes stars sparkle! The days are rapidly shortening; as a consequence the normal procession of the constellations across the sky seems to halt. This allows us to enjoy the delights of summer, but without the bugs! On moonless nights the great Milky Way takes center stage. Often mistaken for clouds, the Milky Way subtly illuminates the night sky. Trace its meanderings from beyond Cassiopeia in the northeast to Sagittarius on the south horizon. Sagittarius the Archer is perhaps the most interesting constellation of the late summer sky. It contains bright star clouds, clusters of stars, as well as bright and dark nebulae. Scanning this region with binoculars under a dark sky can dazzle the mind. Due to our latitude, this region of the sky stays fairly low on the southern horizon. A clearing that exposes this area of the sky will provide the best views. The stars of Sagittarius forms an asterism (see star chart) called “The Teapot”. This becomes obvious once you’ve seen it. If you notice a bright patch along the Teapot’s spout (right side) you are witnessing what is known as the Great Sagittarius Star Cloud. It appears like steam “pouring out” of the teapot! Just to the west of this star cloud marks the center of our galaxy, a fact not to be forgotten when gazing in this direction. The Harvest Moon illuminates the sky all night long on the 15th. The Moon also takes part in a close pairing with Jupiter the evening of the 9th. The planet Jupiter can be seen as a brilliant white beacon due south on any clear September evening.