SkyEye

The Calendar

Glorious Saturn comes to prominence in June, reaching opposition just before the end of the month. Tiny 4 Vesta, the only asteroid capable of reaching naked-eye visibility, also reaches opposition this month.

The Solar System

The word planet is derived from the Greek word for 'wanderer'. Unlike the background stars, planets seem to move around the sky, keeping mostly to a narrow track called the ecliptic, the path of the Sun across the stars. Dwarf planets and small solar-system bodies, including comets, are not so constrained, often moving far above or below the ecliptic.

Sun Taurus → Gemini

Mercury Taurus → Gemini → Cancer

This tiny planet is never far from the Sun. After undergoing superior conjunction on 6 June, Mercury reappears mid-month in the west at sunset. It soars relatively high above the horizon for observers in the southern hemisphere but those in the north get a much poorer view.

Venus Gemini → Cancer → Leo

Southern hemisphere observers finally get the best views of the evening star as it continues to rise higher and higher above the western horizon after sunset. However, to those watching from the north, this bright planet actually gets lower in the sky as the month wears on.

Earth and Moon

The Earth is at solstice on 21 June. The word solstice means 'sun stands still' so that on this day, the solar declination reaches an extreme. In this case, the Sun appears directly over the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere. From now until the solstice in December, days will be getting shorter in the northern hemisphere and longer in the southern hemisphere. On 7 June, the waning crescent Moon could cause problems with observing the Arietid meteor shower. The radiant is close to the Sun and the shower primarily occurs during the day. Twenty days later, the waxing gibbous Moon definitely washes out the June Boötid meteor shower.

Mars Capricornus

Mars remains a difficult observing target for viewers in northern temperate latitudes, despite shining brightly at magnitude −1.3. It changes direction on 28 June, moving from direct to retrograde motion.

Jupiter Libra

Brilliant Jupiter was at opposition last month and is still visible most of the night. Viewers in northern latitudes are finally beginning to get a good look at the largest planet in the solar system as it appears ever higher in the sky.

Saturn Sagittarius

Because it is at opposition on 27 June, Saturn is visible all night. It has two close encounters with the Moon this month, appearing 1.6° south of our satellite on the first day and a little farther on the day after opposition.

Uranus Aries

Uranus is now well away from the Sun. It rises before midnight for southern hemisphere observers, and midnight or later for those in northern temperate latitudes.

Neptune Aquarius

A small telescope is necessary to view the most distant planet in the solar system. At west quadrature on 7 June, Neptune rises around midnight. It reaches a stationary point on 19 June and goes into retrograde.