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almanac

ROSS’S ALMANAC for September 2012

Compiled by Kirk Ross

Summer’s end arrives on Sept. 22 at 11 minutes prior to 11 a.m. By then, the fall cycles of daily life will have been in motion here for almost a month.

From our hill south of town you can almost hear the school year commencing in late August. For a couple of weeks, there’s an ever-increasing distant roar of extra vehicles and HVAC units. Eventually, we hear the loudest outdoor sound the town produces – Kenan Stadium after a score by the home team.

This almost-past summer was a scorcher. We’re lucky here in that we saw a good bit of rain during the heat compared to states west of us. Cooler weather in late August reminded us that long sleeves and nights under blankets are coming soon. But while the cool starts to creep in, there is one remnant of summer’s record heat to keep an eye on. The waters of the Atlantic Ocean’s hurricane alley remain quite warm, fueling the storms spinning off the coast of Africa around Cape Verdes as they make their trek west. The later-season storms are the ones we worry over along the Carolina coast and even far inland. As of this writing, a few such systems are spinning slowly through the tropics.

Sept. 1 – Sunrise: 6:49 a.m.; Sunset: 7:43 p.m.
Sept. 30 – Sunrise: 7:11 a.m.; Sunset: 7:01 p.m.

Last Quarter – Sept. 8 New Moon – Sept. 15
First Quarter – Sept. 22 Full Moon – Sept. 29

The full moon in September is known as the Harvest Moon, Barley Moon and Corn Moon.

Planets & Stars
Reddish Mars appears low in the southwestern sky in the early evening. Much of the month, Saturn can be seen to the right of Mars and above the bright star Spica, but by the end of September the ringed planet slips away into evening twilight. Jupiter and Venus are the brightest objects in the early-morning sky (other than the Moon when it’s up); Venus is the lower and brighter of the two planets. Mercury hides in the Sun’s glare all month
—Amy Sayle, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center

Significant Dates
September is Hispanic Heritage Month, National Courtesy Month, Honey Month, Classical Music Month and National Piano Month.
• Labor Day is celebrated on Monday, Sept. 3
• Newspaper Carrier Day is Sept. 4
• Grandparents Day and National Hug Your Hound Day is Sept. 9
• The National Day of Service and Remembrance is on Sept. 11
• Felt Hat Day and Puppy Mill Awareness Day is Sept. 15
• Mayflower Day and the Trail of Tears Commemoration Day share Sept. 16 (think about it)
• Business Women’s Day is Sept. 22
• Sept. 26 is Yom Kippur and Johnny Appleseed Day
There are UNC home football games on Sept. 1 (Elon), 22 (ECU) and 29 (Idaho).