Introduction
The previous month ended with decent weather and mostly clear skies. Parts of Utah had a few smokey days due to wildfires in Canada, but overall it was a great month for stargazing. If you were unable to enjoy stargazing in May, be sure to check out the summer night sky during June.
Typically, the weather begins to get hot and dry during June in Utah. This year has been a crazy year when it comes to weather, so this could change. Be sure to enjoy the night sky during the clear, warm nights of June! This month, Mars and Venus will pair with the Beehive Cluster on separate occasions, Venus will put on its best show of 2023 as the Evening Star, and many deep-sky objects will be visible.
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| Mercury |
Mercury recently reached its greatest western elongation for this time around the Sun. During June, Mercury will sink closer to our star. This tiny world will brighten as it does so, reaching magnitude -1.0 on the 19th. Leading up to this date, Mercury can be found close to the Pleiades (M45) on the 10th. Uranus can also be found close to Mercury on the 4th, but the ice giant may be a hard target as the Sun brightens the morning sky.
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| Venus |
Venus will likely be the first object observers see in the sky after sunset. The Earth's sister will be high above the western horizon as it reaches its greatest eastern elongation on the 4th. As we approach the 4th, observers may watch Venus line up with Castor and Pollux in Gemini. A day before Venus reaches its greatest eastern elongation, it can be found just 10° from Mars. On the 12th and 13th, Venus will pass close to M44, the Beehive Cluster. On the 21st, a thin crescent Moon can be found close to Venus.
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| Mars |
Mars will spend the first three days of the month in the Beehive Cluster (M44), creating an observing and astrophotography spectacle. Following this first weekend in June, Mars will exit the Beehive and continue through Cancer until the 20th when it passes into Leo the Lion. Venus and the Moon, found near the border of Cancer, will join Mars in the evening sky on the 21st.
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| Jupiter |
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| Saturn |
Jupiter will rise above the mountains shortly before the Sun for the first part of the month. This gas giant will shine at -1.95 magnitude during the first morning of the month and will be visible in the early morning glow from the Sun. Mercury can be found relatively close to the lower left of Jupiter as the month begins. As we progress, Jupiter will pull away from the Sun while Mercury sticks close by. The Moon will join Jupiter in the sky on the 14th. Jupiter will rise earlier with each passing day, making the end of the month the best time to view this planet since it will be higher in the sky and able to escape the glow of the Sun for a longer period of time.
Saturn will rise above the mountains around 3:00 in the morning, about two hours before Jupiter. By month's end, the ringed planet will rise about two hours earlier, allowing observers more time to view this planet. The Moon will join Saturn in this region of the sky on the 9th. Saturn will reach opposition later this year.
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| Neptune |
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| Uranus |
The two ice giants can be viewed through a pair of binoculars but will look their best through a telescope. Uranus will be difficult to spot this month as it rises above the mountains shortly before the Sun. During the first few days of June, Uranus can be found to the left of Mercury in the morning sky but will begin to pull away and can be found between Mercury and Jupiter after the first week. On the 15th, a thin crescent Moon can be found just to the left of this ice giant. As the month progresses, Uranus will rise earlier, with the end of the month seeing this planet rise above the mountains about two hours earlier than the beginning of the month.
Neptune will be easier to spot this month as it rises above the horizon about an hour after Saturn. This places the planet clearing the eastern mountains at about 4 in the morning. By the end of the month, this most distant ice giant will rise about two hours earlier. The nearly half-lit Moon can be found just below Neptune on the morning of the 11th.
Meteor Shower
Unfortunately, there are no major meteor showers this month, but observers will still have the chance to view sporadic meteors in the night sky. Typically, an observer can see approximately seven meteors per hour on any given night. The summer solstice occurs on the 21st of June this year, making this day the one with the most sunlight.
Spot Me....🕵️
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| The southern night sky after sunset in June. |
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| The southern sky after sunset in June with Spica, Porrima, and Vindemiatrix, the brightest stars of Virgo, labeled. |
I will start the Messier hunt in Virgo with M60 (aka NGC 4649) a lenticular galaxy approximately 57 million light-years from the Sun. This object dimly glows at magnitude 9.75 which means a pair of binoculars will be needed from a dark sky site or a larger telescope from brighter skies. To find M60, first locate Vindemiatrix then guide your binoculars/telescope about 3° to the west (right). See the image below for the location of M60.
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| Location of M60 in Virgo. |
Next on the list is M59 (aka NGC 4621) an elliptical galaxy that dimly glows at magnitude 10.56. This object will require a telescope to view. M59 is less than a degree away from M60. After viewing M60, nudge your telescope slightly to the right (west) and M59 will be visible. If using a low-power eyepiece, M59 and M60 should be visible in a single field of view. See the image below for the location of M59.
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| Location of M59 in Virgo. |
Our hunt will continue with M58 (aka NGC 4579), a spiral galaxy located approximately 68 million light-years from the Sun. Like the previous two objects, M58 is dim at magnitude 9.63 and will require a pair of binoculars from a dark sky site or a larger telescope from brighter skies. After viewing M59 and M60, guide your telescope a little farther west to locate M58. The image below shows the location of M58.
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| Location of M58 in Virgo. |
After viewing M58, guide your telescope a little farther northwest to find M89 (aka NGC 4552) a lenticular galaxy that glows at magnitude 9.75. M89 is about 50 million light-years from the Sun. See the image below for the location of M89.
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| Location of M89 in Virgo. |
The final target is M90 (aka NGC 4569) a spiral galaxy approximately 60 million light-years from the Sun. This object shines at magnitude 9.50 and will require a pair of binoculars from a dark sky site or a larger telescope from brighter skies. After viewing M89, guide your telescope north (up) to locate M90. See the image below for the location of M90.
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| Location of M90 in Virgo. |
This area of the sky is home to the Virgo Cluster of galaxies. After viewing the five Messier objects discussed in this post, I encourage observers to scan around in this region of the sky to view other galaxies. See the two images below for the location of the five discussed objects in Virgo.
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| Location of M58, M59, M60, M89, and M90 in Virgo. |
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| Location of M58, M59, M60, M89, and M90 in Virgo with constellation and star labels. |
The images in the "Spot Me..." section are provided by Stellarium, a free planetarium software. Here is an updated file of the Messier Catalog. Be sure to check back around the 15th of June for the remaining Messier objects in Virgo!
Monthly Breakdown
June 01: Mars visits the Beehive Cluster
June 02: Mars visits the Beehive Cluster
June 03: Mars visits the Beehive Cluster
June 03: Full Moon 🌕
June 04: Mercury and Uranus within 3°
June 04: Venus at greatest eastern elongation
June 09: Moon passes within 3° of Saturn
June 10: Last Quarter Moon🌗
June 11: Moon passes within 2° of Neptune
June 14: Moon passes within 2° of Jupiter
June 15: Moon passes within 2° of Uranus
June 16: Moon passes within 4° of Mercury
June 17: Mercury passes within 4° of Aldebaran
June 18: New Moon 🌑
June 21: Summer Solstice
June 21: Moon passes within 4° of Venus
June 22: Moon passes within 4° of Mars
June 26: First Quarter Moon 🌓
Remember to follow me on Instagram @CosmicLure01 to receive notifications for new posts. You may also follow me on Twitter @CosmicLure.
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| Now get outside and look up! |
Planet images were taken by NASA.
Andrew vs. the Cosmos was taken by Jeff Greenland.
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