This Week’s Sky at a Glance, September 11 – 19

Vega passes the zenith in late twilight. Vega is bigger, hotter, and 50 times brighter than our Sun. But at a distance of 25 light-years, it’s 1.6 million times farther away.

Jupiter and Saturn still dominate the south at dusk. And fiery Mars, close and almost Jupiter-bright, rises in the east around the end of twilight. It’s at its highest and telescopic best in the south around 3 a.m. daylight-saving time.