Stargazing in Zion in September
Updated: Apr 2, 2025
After the monsoon season is tapering out, temperatures rise again. Fortunately, we cannot control the weather, and we desperately need rain in Southern Utah. We get bummed about not being able to do tours during those challenging weeks, but we will always do our best to accommodate you during your travels to Zion. That being said, we are looking forward to stargazing in Zion in September for the rest of the month and to hopefully have some more clear skies!
During the last tour in August, we had a balmy 80 degrees Fahrenheit at the field with guests in t-shirts and shorts. We always recommend layering up, though. Bring that extra jacket! By the way, we get many international visitors, and an easy way to convert Fahrenheit into Celsius is to subtract 32 from Fahrenheit and divide by 2 (the real divide is 9/5, but the math with 2 is easier and close enough). That'll give you 24 degrees Celsius, which is close enough to the actual 26.6 Celsius number.
Night Sky around 10 PM on September 15. Source: Stellarium
Stargazing in Zion in September: The Summer Triangle
The Summer Triangle with Vega/Deneb/Altair continues to move past the meridian quickly in the early evenings, indicating that summer is in its last throes. The spring triangle has all but disappeared in the West together with the setting Sun. Autumnal Equinox will be on September 22 in the Northern Hemisphere with equal day and night. Fall does not have a celestial triangle to herald the changing of the leaves colors, but many astronomers use the Great Square in Pegasus as a seasonal marker. It's called the Fall Square and indicates the body of the winged horse in Greek mythology on which Perseus galloped to rescue Andromeda from the sea monster Cetus. Those figures of the "Clash of the Titans" continue to rise in the East. There are two movie versions available to watch to brush up on your Greek mythology: a 1981 version and a 2010 version.
The Andromeda constellation hosts the Andromeda Galaxy, or Messier 31, our closest galactic neighbor. It is the farthest object seen with the naked eye and about 2.5 million light years away. That means the light left Andromeda 2.5 million years ago. The Andromeda is about five times bigger than our Milky Way and hosts about 1 Trillion stars! That is a 1 with twelve zeroes. It is best observed on a moonless night with averted vision, and here you can see its approximate location:
Location of the Andromeda Galaxy. Source: Stellarium
Find the "W" of Queen Cassiopeia and use the top triangle to point towards the constellation Andromeda, about 15 degrees away, which is a little more than the width of your fist at the outstretched arm. Coming from the belt of Princess Andromeda, you connect the stars of the belt and point up. A little to the right of the last star is a fuzzy patch. Congratulations! You found the Andromeda Galaxy!
Look below to understand the makeup of the human eye and the benefit of averted vision (looking at something out of the corner of your eye). At the retina's center, cones help us see during the day. On the outside ring are rods that help us see at night. So, by looking a little to the side of the faint object you want to observe, the rods become more active, and you can see that object a little better.
The human eye. Source: BBC Sky at Night
Planets to View in September near Zion
Saturn is a delight for our guests. The rings are beautiful, and we know that the guest sees Saturn when they proclaim, "Ohhhhhh!" or "Wow!" Stargazing in Zion in September often brings exceptional views of Saturn's rings this time of year! Seeing an image through the eyepiece takes a bit of practice, but we are always patient until we get that exuberant outburst! But Jupiter is no slouch, either! It will be at opposition, at its brightest in the middle of September, and you can't miss it when it is rising in the East! Even with binoculars, you can see the four Galilean Moons: Calisto, Ganymede, Io, and Europa. They are lined up like pearls on a string around the equator of the largest planet in our Solar System. All the planets fit into it about 2.5 times with room to spare. Europa is one of the most promising locations for life outside Earth in our Solar System. The Juno mission has captured fantastic images of Jupiter. If you want to educate yourself: Juno Mission.
Jupiter and the four Galilean Moons. Source: Stellarium
Fall Stargazing in Utah
September is a spectacular month for stargazing in Zion, offering warm yet comfortable evenings, crystal-clear skies, and breathtaking views of the Milky Way before it begins to shift for the season. This month also brings the Autumn Equinox, marking the transition to longer, darker nights—perfect for spotting planets, constellations, and deep-space objects. The Andromeda Galaxy becomes more prominent, and the Draconid Meteor Shower begins toward the end of the month, setting the stage for incredible celestial displays. With fewer crowds than summer, September provides an intimate and serene astrotourism experience in Utah. Don’t miss out—book a stargazing tour with Stargazing Zion and make the most of Zion’s dazzling fall skies!
Zion in September really is something else — the Summer Triangle overhead, the Milky Way so sharp it looks painted on. We booked a late tour with Stargazing Zion and spent the drive back arguing over which constellation we'd actually spotted. Funny how a sky that big turns slightly unsettling once your imagination starts working. That's the exact mood of a horror visual novel I've been reading, a boy's love story that curdles into a nightmare — worth it for the The False Sun endings and character notes alone, since it hides 20 endings.
Zion in September really is something special — the Summer Triangle sits nearly overhead once full dark settles in, and with the park's dark-sky designation you can trace the Milky Way with your naked eye. One tip: bring a red flashlight and arrive early, since clear weekends get crowded fast. While you're waiting for astronomical twilight to fully end, I usually pass the time with poople answer, which has endless word ladder puzzles and no daily cap, so there's never any waiting around. Great way to kill twenty minutes before the stars show up.
Zion in September really is something special — the crowds thin out and the Summer Triangle sits right overhead, with the Milky Way core still visible before it sinks below the mesa. Stargazing Zion's setup makes nebulae surprisingly easy to pick out, even for beginners. It got me thinking about how much I enjoy identifying places from limited visual clues. If that same itch needs scratching, WorldGuesser is a free, no-signup way to test your geography instincts against random street views. Different sky, same thrill of figuring out exactly where on Earth you are.
September really is the sweet spot in Zion — the Summer Triangle is still high overhead and the crowds thin out enough that the Milky Way actually pops above the east rim. Bring layers and a red-light headlamp; the nocturnal wildlife will thank you. Cloudy nights are the gamble, though. We got skunked two nights in a row last year, so a few of us passed the time with a low-poly racing game on our phones — I keep this controls guide bookmarked for exactly that kind of downtime.
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