from The Old Farmer’s Almanac, 2003
“Mars rocks. Its historic superclose approach during the last days of August ensures a dazzling all-night dominance of the heavens throughout September. On the 1st, Mars shines at an amazing magnitude of -2.9, three times brighter than Jupiter and ten times brighter than anything in the midnight sky. But don’t blink: Earth speeds so quickly past Mars that the red planet dramatically loses half its light during September. Meanwhile, Jupiter emerges in the predawn east and conspicuously hovers above Mercury after the 21st: the two are strikingly joined by the Moon on the 24th. Fall begins with the autumnal equinox on the 23rd, at 3:47A.M.”

NOTE: Western Edition quoted, adjust times accordingly