Astrophotography in September 2026: get your camera ready for the equinox auroras and a final glimpse of the Milky Way’s core
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Credit: Getty Images
September 2026 marks a turning point for astrophotographers in the Northern Hemisphere. After months of short nights, darkness returns quickly after sunset, bringing longer and more comfortable observing windows. At the same time, the Milky Way's bright core begins to slip away from the evening sky, making this a final opportunity to capture it until next spring. The month also features the equinox — often a time of auroral activity at northern latitudes — and the warm glow of the Harvest Moon.
Here's everything you need to know about astrophotography in September 2026:
September 3: Moon and Pleiades
Look to the northeast just before midnight, and you'll see the Pleiades, a familiar sight of the winter night sky. Tonight, it will be flanked to the lower left by a 54%-lit waning gibbous moon.
Read: The best cameras for astrophotography
September 4-15: Dark sky window
Credit: Suchart Kuathan / Getty Images
With new moon on September 10, the preceding week offers some of the darkest skies since spring. This is your final realistic opportunity in 2026 to capture the Milky Way's core in the evening sky from mid-northern latitudes. Look southeast after dusk to find the brightest region low on the horizon, gradually sinking earlier each night. A wide-angle lens, fast aperture (f/2.8), ISO 1600–3200 and exposures of 10-20 seconds will capture the structure of the Milky Way, though a star tracker will reveal extra detail.
Read: The best star tracker camera mounts
September 7: Moon and Mars
Are you ready for a couple of very early starts? Rise an hour before sunset today, and you'll have a chance to capture a beautiful 19%-lit waning crescent moon just a few degrees from Mars. Shining in the northeast, they'll be close to Castor and Pollux, the two brightest stars in the constellation Gemini.
Read: When to photograph the moon
September 8: Moon, the Beehive Cluster and Jupiter
A delicate 11%-lit waning crescent moon will this morning sit across one of the most beautiful open clusters of stars in the night sky. The Beehive Cluster is a cluster of around 1,000 stars in the constellation Cancer. Below the pair will be Jupiter, shining brightly.
Read: 10 must-shoot events for astrophotographers in 2026
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CAPTION: The Northern Lights often surge around the equinox. (Image credit: Roberto Moiola / Sysaworld via Getty Images)
Tuesday, 22 September: Equinox and aurora
Credit: Getty Images
The September equinox marks the official start of autumn or fall in the Northern Hemisphere and brings nearly equal day and night. For astrophotographers, it signals the return of longer nights, but it's also the perfect time for heightened auroral activity. Sure, you can wait for unusually high activity that produces faint aurora above the U.K. or U.S., but if you're set on actually seeing the Northern Lights, consider a trip to the auroral oval, where aurora is very common after dark. Head to the Arctic Circle in Alaska, northern Canada or northern Scandinavia (Norway, Finland, Sweden and Iceland).
Read: Northern Lights photography: tips and techniques for stunning images
September 26: Full 'Harvest Moon' rises
Sequence shot at 1 minute intervals, but exposures taken every 3 minutes were selected for the composite, except at the start, when atmospheric refraction makes the Moon rise faster than it does later in the sequence. All were shot with the Canon R5 and RF 70-200mm f/4 L lens at 200mm. | Credit: Getty Images
September's full moon is the Harvest Moon, the full moon closest to the equinox. Although tonight is the best night to capture it (not least because it's very close to Saturn), it actually rises close to sunset for several nights in a row, making it ideal for repeated attempts at moonrise photography. As always, the best time to shoot is at moonrise, when the moon appears largest and most colorful. Use a long lens (200–600mm) to capture detail or incorporate a foreground subject for scale. Do some rigorous sun and moon planning to capture it.
Read: How to photograph the full moon
Astrophotography shot of the month: Zodiacal light
The zodiacal light becomes visible again before dawn around the equinox. | Credit: Getty Images
Mid-September brings an opportunity to image the famed zodiacal light. In the days around the equinox, look east before dawn for a faint triangular glow rising from the horizon. It's sunlight scattered by dust between Mars and Jupiter.
The best time to capture it will be any clear night from around September 9-22. However, you will need a very dark site — use a light pollution map or find a Dark Sky Place . Once in position, capture is the same as for the Milky Way: use a wide-angle lens on a tripod, ISO 1600-3200, and exposures of 15-25 seconds. Zodiacal light is subtle, but your camera will find it. Just don't forget about composition.
Read more:
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