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| Antelope Island sunset. |
It was about this time that we noticed a bison, which was taller than I am and probably weighed more than our car. We decided for our safety, and the safety of all of our equipment, we should pack up and leave.
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| Bison at Antelope Island |
When we arrived home about an hour later, we decided to set up the telescope and look at the moon which was quite spectacular. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the views to share.
I hope that June will be a less cloudy month so that I can take out the telescope and other gear more. Especially since this month will bring the opposition of Jupiter, a close approach between Mars and Mercury, the Summer Solstice, Pallas the asteroid, and maybe even a comet. The latter two will require a telescope and likely a star chart so you can see which "star" is Pallas and the comet. I know a few of my readers have been looking forward to the opposition of Jupiter, as have I.
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| Mercury |
Mercury can be found in the western sky after sunset throughout May. After sunset on the first, Mercury can be found shining brightly at magnitude -1.0. By the 4th, a sliver of moon can be seen close by the most inner planet. As the month progresses, Mercury will climb higher in the evening sky as Mars sinks lower, creating a close approach between the pair on the 17th. This approach is smaller than the size of the full moon in our night sky. On the following evening, this distance decreases, making this planetary conjunction the closest between the pair in 13 years. Perhaps these two planets don't like being this close together because by the end of the month, the distance increases to about 4° between them. Be sure to catch this conjunction before it's gone!
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| Venus |
At the opening of June, Venus and the moon will have a close encounter. The pair will be about 6° apart on the morning of the first. Venus will dip closer to the Sun as the month moves on and will soon pass on the far side of the Sun, out of view for us on Earth. Venus will return to view later on this year.
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| Mars |
Mars will be found in the southwestern sky during June. Mercury should be the first planet you try to spot after sunset followed by Mars. As mentioned above, the closest conjunction between this pair of planets in 13 years will occur on the 18th. Be sure to check it out! Mars can be found closer and closer to the western horizon as the month marches on, making this planet harder to spot in the twilight glow of the setting Sun. By mid July, Mars will be too close to the Sun to see, so if you want to see this planet before then, give it a look.
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| Jupiter |
Jupiter will reach opposition on the 10th of June, increasing the detail that can be seen on this giant world. Like a few of my readers, I have been looking forward to this opposition for a couple of months. I'm excited to get the telescope out so I can try to see the Great Red Spot, the cloud bands, and of course the 4 major moons of Jupiter. Since Jupiter is at opposition, it will rise in the east as the Sun sets in the west. The best time to view the Jupiter, or any object, is when it lies higher in the sky, providing less atmospheric interference. Don't forget that you can use a pair of binoculars to see the Galilean Moons. On the evenings of the 15th and 16th, the Moon can be found close to Jupiter as it rises.
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| Saturn |
Saturn will rise just 2 hours after Jupiter. On the 19th, the Moon and Saturn will make a close approach. A telescope will reveal the rings of Saturn as well as the largest moon, Titan. With a larger telescope, you can even pick out a few of the smaller moons orbiting Saturn. Be sure to wait until Saturn is high in the sky for the best views. If you wait another month, Saturn will reach opposition, increasing the detail you can see.
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| Uranus |
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| Neptune |
Uranus rises around 5 in the morning and will be hard to spot during the first part of June. By the 30th however, Uranus will rise about 2 hours sooner, giving it the chance to get away from the Sun's bright morning glow, making it easier for astronomers and stargazers to spot. Uranus will poke above the horizon almost directly to the east all month.
Neptune on the other hand will rise around 3 in the morning at the beginning of the month and nearly two hours earlier by the 30th. This outermost ice giant will rise in the east and travel towards the southern sky. The Moon will join Neptune on the 23rd and 24th, passing within 10° or so. Binoculars and a telescope will greatly enhance your views of these outermost planets.
Meteor Shower
There are no major meteor showers in June, but there is always the chance to spot a stray meteor. On a typical night, you should be able to see about 6 meteors per hour. However, in June you may have the chance to spot some pearly noctilucent clouds. These occur when tiny ice crystals attach themselves to dust particles in the upper atmosphere. These clouds are best viewed during twilight when the Sun's fading light still glows. This light will reflect off of these clouds, which are nearly 50 miles above the surface of Earth.
Spot Me....🕵️
Last month, I had you try to spot an open star cluster (M44 - The Beehive Cluster) and a globular cluster (M13 - Hercules Globular Cluster). Star clusters are one of my favorite things to look at since they typically show up pretty well in all sizes of telescopes. Since Jupiter reaches opposition this month, I think you should try to see the Galilean Moons. This should be easy, even with a pair of binoculars. If you have a telescope, I encourage you to try and spot the cloud bands of Jupiter and the transit of one of its moons. If your telescope is large enough, be sure and try to pick out the Great Red Spot.
If you enjoyed looking at the Hercules Globular Cluster last month, see if you can spot the globular cluster M19. It can be found in the constellation of Ophiuchus which is where Jupiter will be all month. Using Jupiter and Antares as a guide, M19 will be nearly straight to the right of Jupiter. If you draw an imaginary line down from Antares, M19 will be about halfway between Jupiter and Antares.
As always, let me know what you see!
Monthly Breakdown
June 01: Moon and Venus pass within 3°
June 03: New Moon 🌑
June 04: Moon and Mercury pass within 4°
June 05: Moon and Mars pass within 2°
June 10: First Quarter Moon 🌓
June 10: Jupiter at opposition
June 16: Moon and Jupiter pass within 2°
June 17: Full Moon 🌕
June 18: Mars and Mercury pass within 1°
June 18: Moon and Saturn pass within 1°
June 21: Summer Solstice
June 23: Moon and Neptune pass within 4°
June 25: Last Quarter Moon 🌗
June 27: Moon and Uranus pass within 5°
Think About This....💡
Nearly 60 years ago, in June of 1963, a cosmonaut named Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space. She spent about 3 days in space, circling the Earth 48 times. The 3 days she spent in space outnumbered the time of all of the American astronauts combined up to this point in history. It would be another 19 years before the next woman would fly in space - in 1982, another cosmonaut named Svetlana Savitskaya.
The following year, in June of 1983, Sally Ride became the first American astronaut to fly in space aboard the space shuttle Challenger. She had a total of two flights aboard the Challenger before she retired from NASA in 1987. Sally Ride went on to work at Stanford University and the University of California for many years before passing away in July 2012.
As we roll into the month of June, I felt it was important to highlight the first women in space. I found it interesting that the Soviet Union allowed a woman to go into space only two years after the first man went to space, but the Americans took over 20 years until they sent a woman into space. I strongly encourage women (and men) to get involved in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) classes at an early age to help the advancement and understanding of our universe.
Stay tuned for more exciting news and events!
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| Now get outside and look up! |
Planet images taken by NASA.
Andrew vs. the Cosmos taken by Jeff Greenland.
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