May felt much warmer than April, but seemed to offer more rainy days and cloudy nights. I hope that at the very least, you were able to view the total lunar eclipse on the 26th. I was able to watch it until it became hidden by houses. I should have followed my own advice and found a location that gave me a clear view of the sky! I was able to take a few pictures that will be shared at the end.
While June won't offer observers in Utah anything as exciting as the total lunar eclipse of May, it will bring the return of many summer night sky favorites, such as M13 (Hercules Cluster) and the summer Milky Way band. June will bring warmer weather so it will be more comfortable to stay out under the stars for a longer period of time to view your favorite objects. Jupiter and Saturn, the favorite planetary targets for many astronomers, will rise earlier with each passing day as they move towards opposition later this year, Mars will be found in the Beehive Cluster, creating a nice telescopic view, and as always, a great chance for viewing our closest natural neighbor, the Moon. Unfortunately, June will not offer a decent meteor shower this month, but you can always expect to see up to 10 background meteors per hour if you travel to a dark sky site.
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| Mercury |
Mercury will be visible during the last week of the month in the morning sky. This tiny planet reaches inferior conjunction with the Sun on the 10th, which means it is on the same side of the Sun as the Earth. Your best chance of viewing Mercury will come next month when it reaches its greatest western elongation in the morning sky.
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| Venus |
Venus will be the first planet to watch for after sunset. It should be easy to spot as it shines at magnitude -3.8 throughout the month. The 3% lit Moon will be found near Venus on the 11th. As the month marches on, Venus will come inline with the stars Castor and Pollux of the constellation Gemini, creating a near perfect line on the 24h. By months end, Venus can be found to the lower right of the Beehive Cluster. If you follow the motions of the planets this month, watch for Mars and Venus to become closer in the sky as Mars sinks lower to the horizon and Venus climbs higher in the sky. By the end of the month, this pair of planets will be approximately 7° apart.
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| Mars |
Following Venus, Mars should be the second planet to watch for after sunset. It can be found higher in the sky, near Castor and Pollux in Gemini at the beginning of the month. By the 7th, Mars will form a line with these two stars in much the same way that Venus will towards the end of the month. Mars will start the month off shining at magnitude 1.75 and will grow dimmer with each passing night until it reaches a magnitude of 1.85 at the end of the month. The 12% lit Moon will join Mars in the sky on the 13th. On the 21st, Mars will enter the lower right of the Beehive Cluster and pass through the upper left 3 days later on the 24th. Be sure to pull out your telescope to view this pairing in the early evening sky. As mentioned, if you follow the planets in the night sky this month, you will notice Mars and Venus approaching each other as Venus climbs higher in the sky and Mars sinks closer to the horizon. The pair will be approximately 7° apart by the end of the month.
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| Jupiter |
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| Saturn |
The two gas giants will continue to rise earlier with each passing night as they approach opposition later this year. Be sure to take the opportunity this summer to view these popular telescope targets. Jupiter will rise after Saturn, but due to its size and distance from the Earth, it will shine much brighter and be easier to see. Jupiter will start the month off shining at magnitude -2.3 and brighten to magnitude -2.5 by the end of the month. It should clear the Rocky Mountains by 2:30 in the morning on the 1st and nearly two hours earlier by the 30th. These times depend on how close you are to the mountains. The further away, the earlier an observer will be able to spot this planet. The opening night, the Moon will be found close to this gas giant as well as on the 28th and 29th with the smallest distance being on the 28th when the pair will be only 4° apart. Jupiter makes an excellent target for the unaided eye, binoculars, and any size of telescope.
Saturn will rise approximately an hour before Jupiter, likely making it an observer's next planetary target after Mars. Saturn will begin the month shining at magnitude 0.6 and will brighten to 0.4 by the end of the month and rise about 2 hours earlier. The Moon will join the ringed world in the morning sky on the 27th, which could possible obscure the view. Saturn will be found in Capricornus and easily outshine the stars of this constellation. While Saturn is a fun unaided eye target, it will really shine through a telescope that can show an observer the rings.
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| Neptune |
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| Uranus |
The outer two planets are best viewed through a telescope but can still be seen through a pair of binoculars. As the month begins, Uranus will likely be too close to the Sun to be seen but by the end of the month, it will rise nearly two hours earlier (about 3 in the morning) and will be further from the Sun from our vantage point, making it easier to see. It will also be higher in the sky, making it easier to view through binoculars or a telescope since there will be less of the Earth's atmosphere to interfere. The 8% lit Moon can be found below Uranus on the 7th which can aid an observer into finding this dim planet.
Neptune will again lag behind Jupiter by about an hour this month. The most distant planet will be easier to spot this month since it has the chance to escape the morning glow of the Sun, but still remains a challenge due to how dim the planet shines. On the 3rd and 30th, an observer can use the Moon as a guide to find this planet. On this date, the Moon can be found about 4° below Neptune. Jupiter and Saturn can also be used to point the way to Neptune.
Meteor Shower
Unfortunately, June does not offer a major meteor shower, but a few smaller ones. The smaller showers are less predictable but an observer can expect to see at least 7 meteors per hour on any given night. However, June does bring the summer solstice for the Northern Hemisphere on the 20th. This day will have the most daylight, which many people enjoy. Following the 20th, the days will begin to shorten until the winter solstice in December. This month also brings an annular solar eclipse, which unfortunately won't be seen over Utah. If you are lucky enough to be in the northern regions of Canada, Greenland, or Russia, you will be able to see this event on the 10th. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is too far from Earth to block the entire sphere of the Sun, leaving a "ring of fire." The last one over Utah was in May of 2012. Below is a (terrible) picture that I took in during this event at Cedar Breaks.
Spot Me....🕵️
I've had you try to spot quite a few different objects in the night sky, most of which require a telescope. This month, I encourage you to view the Beehive Cluster and Mars. These will be an early evening target since both will sink below the horizon before midnight. Remember that Mars will enter the Beehive on the 21st, making them both an easy target. By the 23rd, Mars will leave the Beehive Cluster, but can still be used as a guide to locate these stars. The Beehive Cluster can be seen with the unaided eye from a dark sky location, but binoculars or a telescope will reveal more stars and the reason for its name. As always, even when using binoculars or a telescope, it's best to get away from city lights so they don't interfere with what can be seen.
As always, leave a comment to let me and others know what you see!
Monthly Breakdown
June 01: Moon passes within 5° of Jupiter
June 02: Last Quarter Moon 🌗
June 02: Moon passes within 4° of Neptune
June 07: Moon passes within 2° of Uranus
June 10: New Moon 🌑
June 10: Mercury reaches inferior conjunction
June 12: Moon passes within 2° of Venus
June 13: Moon passes within 3° of Mars
June 17: First Quarter Moon 🌓
June 20: Summer Solstice
June 24: Full Moon 🌕
June 27: Moon passes within 4° of Saturn
June 28: Moon passes within 4° of Jupiter
June 30: Moon passes within 4° of Neptune
Think About This....💡
Since we recently had a lunar eclipse, I thought I would share some images taken from this and previous eclipses. Enjoy!
The above three images were taken on 26 May 2021 with my phone and a tripod. These pictures are a little higher quality than the 3 images below. The three below were taken on 14 April 2014 with my phone held up to a pair of binoculars. The colors seem better an the lower images but the quality is worse.
Beginning in July, this blog service will no longer support email notifications for my posts, so you will not receive a reminder that a new report has been published. I typically post on the 15th and last day of the month, so be sure to check around those dates! I will try to find another method of informing my readers when I submit a new post.
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.