The Night Sky for June 2008
Catch Saturn, Mars, a Meteor Shower, and Summer Constellations
In the Northern Hemisphere, June means long hours of daylight and warm weather, encouraging people to stay outside till sunset. As the sunlight fades, reddish Mars and white-yellow Saturn shine high in the west.
The First Day of Summer
For those in the Northern Hemisphere, June 20 brings the first day of summer while those in the Southern Hemisphere welcome winter. The solstice occurs at 7:59 pm EDT. The sun has been climbing higher in the sky each day leading up to the solstice. Longer hours of daylight and more direct rays of sunshine have been warming the atmosphere, ushering in the summer season. On the day of the solstice the sun stops climbing higher in the sky and appears to stand still. The word "solstice" is named after this phenomenon and means "the point where the sun stands still".
The Lyrid Meteor Shower on Father's Day, June 15
Father's Day for 2008 falls on Sunday, June 15. This is also the peak of the Lyrid meteor shower. The source for the Lyrid meteor shower is unknown, and the shower is generally quiet, with not much more than 10 meteors viewed per hour. Because the full moon for the month occurs at 1:30 pm EDT on June 18, by sunset on the 15th the nearly full moon will already be rising and obscuring the view. Faint meteors are hard to see in the sky with a bright moon glowing.
The Lyrid meteors appear to emanate from the constellation Lyra, which is rising in the northeast as the moon rises in the southeast. The brightest star in Lyra, Vega, is the brightest star currently in this corner of the sky. Next month Vega and the other two points in the Summer Triangle will be high above the horizon and good for viewing.
Saturn and Mars in June 2008
Saturn and Mars make great observing targets in June. After sunset when the sky starts to darken, they are some of the first points of light that appear in the twilight. They are both high in the west, with Mars as the lower of the two but Saturn as the brighter one. Saturn starts the month very close to the star Regulus in Leo.
Important dates for Saturn and Mars in June start on June 7 when Mars and the moon come within two degrees of each other. The next night, June 8, the moon, a growing crescent shape at 35% lit, stands beside Regulus and not far from Saturn. Over the course of the new few days, Mars will be rushing up toward Saturn and Regulus. When the three meet, Mars will be the dimmest, then Regulus, with Saturn shining brightest. On June 30, Mars and Regulus are less than a degree apart. Mars and Saturn will meet in early July.
Saturn is a treat through even small telescopes. Its rings are distinctive even though they are currently looking smaller as the planet tilts to hide their width from our view. Saturn's largest moon, Titan, can also be seen through telescopes as the point of light just off the edge of the rings. If you are unable to spot it, it may currently be hiding in front of or behind the Ringed Planet.
Northern Hemisphere Constellations in June
June is a good time to use the Big Dipper in Ursa Major to find other major stars and constellations. The Big Dipper is high overhead. Use the handle stars to trace the curve down to Arcturus in Bootes (or "arc to Arcturus") and then continue straight on to Spica in Virgo (or "speed on down to Spica"). The two bowl stars at the tip of the Big Dipper, pointing above the opening of the dipper, lead to the North Star, Polaris, in the Little Dipper, or Ursa Minor. A chain of stars that snakes between the Big and Little Dippers is Draco the Dragon. Follow this line of stars until you reach the squashed square that marks the dragon's head.
Observe Mars in June 2008
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