Most of the planetary action in June 2009 is in the early morning hours, and because sunrise comes early, few people will see Venus, Mars, and Mercury this month. The focus then goes to objects visible after sunset while people linger in the warm outdoors.
Summer Solstice – The First Day of Summer
For the Northern Hemisphere, summer officially begins at 1:46 a.m. EDT on June 21. Because of this early morning hour, people who live a few time zones to the west will have their first day of summer start on June 20, with the time falling before midnight, such as in the Pacific Time Zone at 10:46 p.m. So the true first day of summer in 2009 depends on where you live. (June 21, 2009, is also Father's Day.)
June Meteor Shower and Full Moon
One of the pleasant activities of summer is lying on a blanket in the grass and stargazing. This activity will be a bit more exciting from June 10 – June 21 with the addition of scattered meteors from the Lyrid meteor shower. Fortunately, the constellation Lyra, from which these meteors appear to emanate, is well overhead by nightfall. Also, the full moon for June occurs on June 7 at 2:12 p.m. EDT, therefore in the 10 - 21st window, the moon will rise about an hour later each night, providing darker skies at nightfall in which to see the meteors.
Planets and Stars for June 2009
Saturn is the easiest planetary observing target in June, as it is already high in the sky at sunset and remains above the horizon until midnight. Saturn is currently the brightest object in the constellation Leo the Lion.
In the late evening sky, Jupiter and Neptune rise in the east less than one degree apart. Jupiter is easy to spot without optical aid at -2.6, it will be the brightest object rising in the east southeast after midnight. Use binoculars to look just above Jupiter to find Neptune.
Rising above the eastern horizon after sunset is the Summer Triangle. The Summer Triangle consists of three bright stars known as Vega, Deneb, and Altair, from the constellations Lyra, Cygnus, and Aquila. Vega is the highest and brightest of the three stars. The Summer Triangle frames a portion of the Milky Way.
Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo, receives two visits from the moon in June. The first is on June 3, when the gibbous moon stands five degrees to the lower right. On June 30, another gibbous moon is just a bit farther away, at six and a half degrees to Spica's lower left.
On June 23, a beautiful young crescent moon stands near the stars Castor and Pollux. On June 6, the moon occults, or passes in front of, the star Antares for many observers. Look east after sunset. For some observers, the moon may already be in front of Antares as they rise above the horizon; wait for its reappearance on the upper right side of the moon.
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