June 2011 All-Sky Chart |
Visible Evening Planets
- SATURN is in the west at sunset.
Visible Morning Planets
- VENUS is bright in the southeast.
- JUPITER is low in the morning twilight
- MARS rises during twilight all month.
This month, the planets go in different directions. The ones we've followed most of the spring are ending their displays while the others are becoming more prominent.
The only evening planet is Saturn. It is bright in the western sky after sunset. Saturn is above the star Spica near dimmer Porrima toward the bottom of the "cup" in Virgo. This grouping of "stars" is striking, and Saturn leads the way with Spica below. Enjoy it for the next couple months since it will be nearly gone by the end of summer.
There are several planets in the morning sky. They are close to each other and binoculars will definitely be of
assistance. There are very close morning groupings, just hope for some decent weather!
Venus is bright and usually easy to spot at -3.9 magnitude. It is much brighter than any nighttime object except the moon. Venus is not as obvious as usual since it now rises during twilight. Early in June it rises only about an hour before the sun. Follow its descent into the morning twilight.
Jupiter is the second brightest planet at -2.2 magnitude and is in the morning sky. As the month passes, it will become higher and easier to spot. Early in June it rises about two hours before the sun and around 3.5 hours at the end. Jupiter will be the dominant morning planet for the next several months.
Not much has been said about Mars for the past several months as it languished near the solar glare. Look for the dim red "star" emerging and increasing its distance from the sun this month and the rest of the summer. It shines at +1.3 magnitude, but will improve.
Mercury reaches superior conjunction on June 12 when it passes behind the sun. It will not be visible this month.
Dwarf planet Pluto reaches opposition on June 28. With an eight inch or larger telescope, patience, and a good star chart, you might be able to spot the dwarf planet.
June sky
The night sky in June is one in transition. The constellations of winter are gone in the west. In the east, the constellations of summer are beginning to appear. Leo and Virgo are overhead to high in the western sky. Virgo's bright star Spica and the planet Saturn are easy to spot as they form a wide pair.
In the east, be on the lookout for the bright star Vega in the constellation Lyra. It is also part of the "Summer Triangle”... not a constellation, but a large triangle that features 2 other bright summer stars, Deneb and Altair. Vega is 50 times more luminous than the sun and it is only 26 light-years away. This makes Vega very bright in our night sky. You may remember Vega being the pivotal star in the movie "Contact.”
Lyra is a small, but distinct constellation. Lyra represents a harp and Vega is in the spike at the top of the harp. The rest of the harp is made up of four other stars that form something of a diamond shape. Astronomers have discovered a cloud, or disk of material around Vega. This may be material that is forming into planets around Vega. Summer is on the way. Take advantage of the warm June evenings under the stars.
Telescope clinic
A telescope isn't much fun if you don't know how to use it. The TriState Astronomers will be hosting a telescope clinic at the Discovery Station in Hagerstown on June 4.
If you have a telescope and you're not sure what to do next, bring it to the telescope clinic for some guidance. Club members will be there from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. This is a free event; however, there may be a fee to enter the Discovery Station.
For more information, contact Dan at 301-988-9828 or Outreach@TriStateAstronomers.org,
or visit www.tristateastronomers.org.
Sun and moon
A highlight of the year is the summer solstice. As we revolve around the sun, it lines up with different constellations and stars. That is one way to observe Earth's motion. Since Earth is tilted sometimes we are leaning toward the sun and sometimes away.
When Earth is tilted toward the sun there is more daylight than nighttime in our hemisphere, and the sunlight strikes us more directly. The day that the sun reaches the northernmost position along its path is the Summer Solstice. The sun reaches that point on June 21 at 1:17 p.m.
Since Earth's orbit is elliptical, it actually moves fastest when it is near the sun and slower when farther away. Combine that with the solstice and some interesting events occur. The longest daylight is on June 21, the solstice. The earliest sunrise is on June 14. The latest sunset is on June 28.
On June 1, the sun rose at 5:45 a.m. and set at 8:32 p.m., for 14 hours and 47 minutes of daylight. On the solstice, the sun rises at 5:43 a.m. and sets at 8:42 p.m. for 14 hours and 59 minutes of daylight. By June 30, the sun rises at 5:46 a.m. and sets at 8:43 p.m., for 14 hours and 57 minutes of daylight.
The sun enters the boundaries of Gemini on June 21 from Taurus.
The new moon was June 1, first quarter is June 8, the full moon is June 15, and last quarter is June 23.
There will be a total lunar eclipse on June 15, it won’t be visible from our location.
