SkyEye

Welcome to SkyEye, your guide to this month's celestial events. All dates are based on Universal Time (UT).

The Sun and Moon

There are no eclipses this month. As seen from the Earth, the Sun is moving from the constellation Taurus to the constellation Gemini. Solstice occurs on Earth on 21 June, marking the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere and the beginning of winter in the south. During the longest days of the summer, observers north of about 50° north latitude never experience true darkness.

The phases of the Moon are

Last Quarter : 7 June
New : 13 June
First Quarter : 20 June
Full : 28 June

The Moon is at perigee on 13 June and at apogee on 25 June. The coincidence of New Moon and perigee may lead to very high tides.

The Moon occults two planets and two first-magnitude stars in June. Like the previous two months, Neptune and Uranus are occulted a day apart. Neptune goes first on 3 June at 22 UT. This is visible during darkness in the Middle East and India, and during daylight in southeastern Asia. The occultation of Uranus the following day at 22 UT follows exactly the same pattern. The arctic regions of Siberia and Alaska have an opportunity to see Aldebaran slide behind the limb of the Moon during daylight hours. Six days later, Siberia gets a repeat performance with Regulus, also during the day.

The Planets

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.
Mercury
Mercury reaches greatest elongation east on 28 June. Found in the morning sky, it is best seen in the northern hemisphere. Mercury is in the constellations Taurus, Gemini, and Cancer.
Venus
The northern hemisphere gets the best views of Venus as the "evening star" in the western sky after sunset, and the situation is improving for southern hemisphere observers as this bright planet begins to climb more quickly into the sky. On 10 June Venus is at dichotomy. This means that when viewed through a telescope, our sister planet should look exactly half lit. On the following day, Venus reaches greatest elongation east. The "evening star" passes close by the Beehive Cluster, an open cluster in the constellation Cancer, on 13 June. Venus also can be found in the constellations Gemini and Leo.
Mars
On 5 June, Mars resumes prograde motion. Look for the red planet near the bright star Spica on 9 June. Setting just after midnight, Mars can be found in the constellation Virgo.
Jupiter
The largest of all planets in the solar system rises after midnight at about the same time that Mars sets. Look for it in the faint constellation Pisces.
Saturn
Saturn rises shortly after Jupiter and can be found in the constellation Aries.
Uranus
Uranus rises in mid-evening with Neptune in the constellation Capricornus. Uranus is occulted by the Moon on 4 June.
Neptune
Neptune is falling behind Uranus after their triple conjunction in 1993, but they are still found close together in the sky. Like Uranus, Neptune is occulted by the Moon, this time on 3 June. Look for this distant gas giant in the constellation Capricornus.
Pluto
Having reached opposition late last month, Pluto is up all night in the constellation Ophiuchus. However, because it is so small and faint, a large telescope is always needed to see it.

Minor Planets, Comets and Meteors

Minor Planets
A number of interesting minor planets populate the solar system.
Comets
There are no naked-eye comets visible this month.
Meteors
There are no major meteor showers this month.

The Celestial Sphere

Constellations are patterns of stars in the sky. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) recognizes 88 different constellations. The brightest stars as seen from the Earth are easy to spot but do you know their proper names? With a set of binoculars you can look for fainter objects such as nebulae and galaxies or some of the closest stars to the Sun.

Descriptions of the sky for observers in both the northern and southern hemispheres are available for the following times this month. Subtract one hour from your local time if daylight savings time is in effect. (Note: These times are approximate.)

Northern Hemisphere : 45° N

Southern Hemisphere : 30° S

For More Information...

Blue moons, eclipses, the dates of Easter and much more can be found at the Interactive Astronomy Pages. For more information about the objects and events described in SkyEye, visit these astronomy-related sites.

Credits

Much of this information can be found in this month's issue of Sky & Telescope and in other fine amateur astronomy magazines available in your local bookshop. Another excellent source is the current edition of the Astronomical Calendar by Guy Ottewell and published by the Universal Workshop at Furman University.

The image of the Sun in the SkyEye banner is courtesy of the SOHO/EIT consortium. SOHO is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA.

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