Monthly Night Sky Report: June 2025

           Introduction

    The end of May proved to be pleasant and an excellent opportunity for outdoor activities, including stargazing! While I was unable to do any serious stargazing, I did get my garden planted...for the second time this year. Multiple hailstorms destroyed my first plants, which were started by seed indoors before being planted. I do have one, possibly two, trips planned this year, which will include some stargazing, weather permitting.

    The current weather forecast shows that the first few days of June will be cooler and rainy. After these storms, however, the weather should clear up and be great for some summer astronomy! June is a quiet month for astronomy events such as meteor showers and known comets. However, meteors can be seen on any clear night, and there is always a slight chance of a newly discovered comet reaching unaided eye visibility. The Sun is still highly active, increasing the possibility of seeing the Northern Lights in Utah. Typically, local news stations do a decent job of reporting if there is a chance of seeing these ethereal lights in the sky. The Summer Solstice occurs on the 20th this month, marking the longest amount of daylight and shortest night (boo!) of the year for the Northern Hemisphere. 

                      

Mercury

    Mercury can be found in the evening sky after sunset during June. On the 6th, Mercury and Jupiter can be seen hugging the western horizon. The pair will be closest on the 8th, when they are just 2° from each other from our vantage point. A pair of binoculars will aid in revealing these planets in a single field of view. Mercury will continue to climb higher in the sky after sunset as Jupiter sets earlier with each passing day. On the 24th, Mercury can be found forming a line with the bright stars of Gemini, Castor and Pollux, just as Mars did a couple of months back. By the end of the month, Mercury can be found within 3° of M44, the Beehive Cluster. A pair of binoculars or a telescope with a low-power eyepiece and a clear view of the western horizon will be required to see this pair.  

  

Venus

    Brilliant Venus can be found high above the eastern horizon before sunrise. This planet reached its greatest western elongation on May 31st. As the month progresses, Venus can be seen approaching M45, the Pleiades, in Taurus. The closest this pair will get in June will come at the end of the month. However, during July, the pair can be found moving even closer together with the Hyades, another open star cluster in Taurus, joining the pair. Aldebaran, the red eye of the bull, will also be close to Venus in July.  

    

Mars

    Mars can be seen high above the western horizon after sunset. Due to its red color, it should be easy to pick out against the background stars of Leo. On the 16th, Mars and the brightest star of Leo, Regulus, can be found less than 1° apart. The bright blue-white of Regulus and the orange-red of Mars will contrast nicely, creating a spectacular photo opportunity. 

Jupiter

Saturn

     Jupiter is quickly approaching the Sun from our vantage point and will soon be lost from view. This gas giant will be found close to Mercury on the 6th through the 9th. Shortly after this date, Jupiter will be too close to the Sun to view. Interested observers can still catch the Galilean Moons transiting the planet, the Great Red Spot, and the distant cloud bands. Check out the Moons of Jupiter & Saturn app for Android or JupiterMoons for Apple devices to find the best times to view the transits and the Great Red Spot for a specific location. An observer will need a four-inch (100 mm) or larger telescope to view the transits and the Great Red Spot. 

    Saturn will continue to rise earlier each morning, allowing observers to view this ringed world for a more extended period before sunrise. Saturn is tilted so that we Earthlings will have a clear view of the southern face of the ring system for the next 13 years. Currently, the ring system tilt is very narrow at only 4°, offering observers a clear view of Saturn. Now is a great time to view the cloud bands of Saturn and storms in its atmosphere. The current tilt of Saturn will also bring many moon transits to view.   

       

Neptune

Uranus

    

    Uranus returns to the morning sky this month. The best chance to see this ice giant will come at the end of the month when it rises with Venus. A pair of binoculars should easily reveal the blue-green tint of this planet.  

  Neptune can be found in the morning sky before sunrise. On the 29th, this most distant planet and Saturn will be just 1° apart in our sky. A pair of binoculars or a telescope will be required to see the blue disk of this planet.

Noctilucent Clouds and Northern Lights

   June doesn't offer a major meteor shower, but an average of seven meteors per hour can be seen during any given night. As mentioned earlier, the Sun is still very active, increasing the likelihood of the Northern Lights being visible over Utah. I recommend following your local news channel for the weather forecast, where they usually announce the possibility of seeing these lights. Even if an observer is unable to see the lights with the unaided eye, a camera can detect the faint light and capture an image quite easily. If using a smartphone, an observer can open their camera app and hold the phone up to the sky to see if the lights are visible. No picture necessary! 

    The warm summer nights in the northern hemisphere bring the opportunity to go cloud-gazing! Of course, clouds are bad for stargazing, but noctilucent clouds are elusive and are quite a sight during evening twilight. After all other clouds grow dark after sunset, noctilucent clouds will still glow from the reflected sunlight. These clouds lie at the top of the Earth's atmosphere, approximately 50 miles above the planet's surface! Cirrus clouds, the most common type of cloud, can reach about 7.5 miles above the Earth. That's quite a difference! Noctilucent clouds occur when ice crystals form on tiny dust particles at the edge of the Earth's atmosphere. After sunset, these clouds still glow because of the reflected sunlight bouncing off these ice crystals. These clouds typically appear stationary to an individual observing from the ground. However, a time-lapse will show these clouds moving against the background stars.    

Monthly Breakdown

June 01: Moon passes within 2° of Mars
June 02: First Quarter Moon 🌓
June 08: Jupiter and Mercury within 2°
June 11: Full Moon 🌕

June 16: Mars passes within 1° of Regulus 

June 18: Last Quarter Moon🌗

June 18: Moon passes within 3° of Saturn 

June 18: Moon passes within 2° of Neptune 

June 20: Summer Solstice

June 22: Moon passes within 7° of Venus

June 22: Moon passes within 5° of Uranus

June 24: Jupiter is in conjunction with the Sun 

June 25: New Moon 🌑

June 27: Moon passes within 3° of Mercury

June 29: Saturn and Neptune within 1°

June 29: Moon passes within 0.5° of Mars 

 

         

Now get outside and look up!

Planet images were taken by NASA.

Andrew vs. the Cosmos image was taken by Jeff Greenland.

The Milky Way and Trees image was taken by Andrew Greenland.

Orion, Taurus, and Pleiades image was taken by Andrew Greenland.

                

                

Midmonth Check-In: May 2025 and Space Weather

               

  Introduction and Monthly Reminders   

    May was another month for crazy Utah weather. Northern Utah experienced a few days with temperatures in the 70s and 80s, although some strong winds accompanied these days. Utahns also experienced rainy days in the 50s and 60s. The current weather forecast predicts more rain for the next couple of days, but also shows climbing temperatures and clearing skies. Great for astronomy! Aside from catching glimpses of the bright planets and constellations, the weather didn't permit much stargazing. 

    During the second half of May, observers can expect to see the Moon passing close to Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune. Mercury will reach superior conjunction with the Sun on the 29th, being lost from view but returning in June. Venus will reach its greatest western elongation on the 31st, high above the horizon before sunrise.  

Space Weather  

       Utah has been experiencing some crazy weather patterns over the past several weeks. This is a good time to talk about the weather in space! As one may have guessed, Space weather is quite different from the weather we experience here on Earth. 

    The term "space weather" might be misleading to some, but it refers to the area between the Sun and the Earth and the impact this region has on human technology and the Earth. Space weather is caused by the Sun releasing charged particles known as the solar wind. These charged particles contain kinetic energy measured in electron volts (eV). Not EV as in electric vehicle. When the Sun reaches its solar maximum cycle, as it is currently, it releases more of these charged particles. When these particles interact with a planet's atmosphere, they can release their energy, creating different colors in the sky, known as aurora. The Earth is not the only planet to have aurora. They have also been seen on Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune. 

    In addition to creating pretty lights in the sky, solar weather can have an adverse effect. The solar wind interacts with all forms of technology. Satellites orbiting the planet can be overrun with these charged particles, temporarily disrupting ground communication and, in extreme instances, permanently damaging the satellite so it can no longer be used. The affected satellites can cause navigation errors on Earth and TV and cell phone outages. Astronauts aboard the ISS and individuals on aircraft will experience higher radiation levels during intense solar storms. On the planet's surface, we may experience geomagnetic induced currents in our power systems, disrupting the power that we heavily rely on. Solar cells, which have come a long way in technology, can also degrade more quickly during high solar activity. It seems that nothing is safe from space weather and the solar wind. This is mainly true outside of the protective layer that the Earth's atmosphere provides. It's only the powerful solar storms that humans need to worry about on the planet's surface. More information about Space Weather and its current forecast can be found on the Space Weather Prediction Center website of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.            

    

Now get outside and look up!