June has a lot going for skywatchers, including a close encounter between Venus and Jupiter, the rare event of the Moon passing in front of Venus, the arrival of astronomical summer, and the return of some of our favorite deep-sky targets.
Skywatching highlights
- June 9th: conjunction of venus and jupiter
- June 11th to 15th: Mercury joins Venus and Jupiter after sunset
- June 17th: The Moon passes in front of Venus, and the Moon-Venus pair approaches each other.
- June 21st: June solstice and the beginning of astronomical summer
- June: Summer triangle and deep-sky observation targets emerge
(See video link after article.)
Venus and Jupiter shine together after sunset
During the first half of June, look to the western horizon just after sunset to spot Venus and Jupiter. The two brightest planets visible in the evening sky will appear especially close together around June 9th.
This event is known as a planetary conjunction. Although the planets are millions of miles apart in space, they appear close to each other when viewed from Earth.
A few days later, from June 11th to June 15th, Mercury will conjunct Venus and Jupiter low in the western sky, creating an eye-catching lineup of three planets.
The reason such gatherings occur is because the planets orbit the sun along similar paths across our sky called the ecliptic. As they move along this shared orbit, they can sometimes appear clustered together when viewed from Earth.
Venus is the easiest celestial body to spot because of its extraordinary brightness. Jupiter shines nearby, but Mercury is much lower towards the horizon. A clear view of the western sky will allow observers to catch Mercury before it disappears into the twilight glow.
the moon passes in front of venus
Another highlight will arrive on June 17, when the moon will pass directly in front of Venus for observers in certain locations.
This phenomenon is called a lunar eclipse. For those in the viewing path, Venus will appear to disappear behind the Moon, then reappear later.
This occultation will be visible from parts of the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Venezuela. Even outside the narrow path where Venus is completely obscured, many observers will still see the Moon and Venus appearing unusually close in the sky.
In some locations, this event occurs during the day. Anyone trying to observe it should be careful.
Do not point binoculars, telescopes, or cameras near the sun unless proper solar safety equipment is used. Viewing the sun through optical equipment without proper protection can cause serious damage to your eyes.
The summer solstice marks the beginning of astronomical summer
There is also the summer solstice in June.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the June solstice marks the official start of astronomical summer. Pacific time on Sunday, June 21 at 1:24 a.m. Pacific Time.
The summer solstice marks the longest day and shortest night of the year throughout the Northern Hemisphere.
Interestingly, the longest day of the year doesn’t necessarily coincide with the earliest sunrise or latest sunset. For example, in Los Angeles, the earliest sunrise occurs before the summer solstice, and the latest sunset occurs after the summer solstice.
Summer triangle and deep sky objects are back
As it gets darker in the second half of the month, classic summer stargazing objects begin to take center stage.
One of the easiest seasonal landmarks to spot is the Summer Triangle, a large pattern formed by the bright stars Vega, Altair, and Deneb.
There are several popular deep-sky objects in and around this region, including the Dumbbell Nebula, Ring Nebula, North America Nebula, and Veil Nebula.
The Dumbbell Nebula, also known as Messier 27, holds a special place in the history of astronomy as the first planetary nebula ever discovered.
Unlike bright planets, these objects are usually too faint to be noticeable to the naked eye. But the use of telescopes and long-exposure photography reveals spectacular details such as glowing gas clouds, disappearing stars, and stellar nurseries scattered throughout the galaxy.
June is the perfect month to spend time under the night sky, with a combination of bright planets, rare lunar eclipses, summer solstice, and returning deep sky treasures.
