AstroPlanet (The Blog)

Summer begins on June 20^th when the Summer Solstice occurs. The Summer Solstice occurs when the tilt of the Earth is pointed directly toward the Sun.  This point marks the beginning of Summer.  The Summer Solstice has the longest amount of daylight and the shortest night.

The New moon for June occurs on Tuesday, June 3^rd, which makes the  previous weekend May 31^st – June 1^st as a great weekend for dark sky viewing.  Also the next new moon will occur on Wednesday, July 2^nd, this will make the last weekend in June, June 28^th-29^th, as a great weekend for dark sky observation.

The Full moon for June occurs on June 18^th and is known as the Strawberry Moon or Honey Moon

Mercury is located in the constellation Taurus, the Bull, for the month of June.   However, for most of the month, Mercury is hidden in the glare of the Sun.  Around June 15^th, Mercury will appear in the morning skies just before sunrise.

Mercury is moving in retrograde motion until June 20^th. Movie starts June 15^th and ends June 30 - Each frame is one sidereal day.

Venus begins June in the constellation Taurus, the Bull, and crosses into the constellation Gemini, the Twins, on June 18^th where is will spend the rest of the month. 

Venus is hidden by the glare of the Sun as it moves into the evening sky and reappears at the end of the month, around June 27th.

Mars is observable during the evening hours this month.  Mars starts June in the constellation Cancer, the Crab, until June 10^th, when it moves into the constellation Leo, the Lion.

On June 7th the Waxing, Crescent Moon will pass within 1°30’ of Mars.

On the last day of June, Mars will be in conjunction with the star Regulus passing within 0°45’.

Jupiter is visible in the mid-night to morning hours this month. Jupiter can be found in the constellation Sagittarius,  the Archer, until January of 2009.

On the morning of June 20^th Jupiter sets within 3° of waning, gibbous moon.

Saturn is located in the constellation Leo, the Lion, until the year 2009 and can be viewed in the evening to mid-night hours this month. 

Saturn starts June less than 2°50’ of the star Regulus and slowly

moves away until the end of the month when Saturn will be less than

4°45’ of the star.

On June 8^th, Saturn is passed within 3°40’  by the waxing, crescent moon.

Uranus is located in the constellation Aquarius, the Water Bearer, until the year 2009. This month Uranus is visible from the middle of the night to morning.

Uranus has a conjunction with the moon this month on June 25th, when the waning, gibbous moon passes with 3°15’. At the beginning of the June, Uranus rises around 2:00am and by the end of the month, Uranus rises around Midnight.

Neptune is found in the constellation Capricornus, the Sea Goat, until the year 2010. This month Neptune is visible from the middle of the night to morning.

On June 22^nd-23^rd, Neptune will be occulted by the waning, gibbous moon. Starting around 11:49pm (pst) and willl reappear around 12:59am (pst). Movie starts 11:15pm (pst) ends 01:10am (pst) - Each frame is one minute.

At the beginning of June, Neptune rises around 12:30am and by the end of May, Neptune rises around 10:30pm.

The former planet, Pluto, is found in the constellation Sagittarius, the Archer, until the year 2023. This month Pluto is observable all night.  This puts Pluto in excellent position for observation this month.

Position of Pluto around Midnight, June 15.

6/1/2008 Saturn less than 2°50′ from the star Regulus

6/3/2008 New Moon

6/7/2008 Waxing, crescent moon passes within 1°30′ of Mars

6/8/2008 Waxing, crescent moon passes within 3°40′ of Mars

6/10/2008 First Quarter Moon

6/18/2008 Full Strawberry or Honey Moon

6/20/2008 Summer Solstice (Summer begins)

6/20/2008 Waning, gibbous moon passes within 3° of Jupiter

6/23/2008 Waning, gibbous moon occults Neptune

6/25/2008 Waning, gibbous moon passes within 3°15′ of Uranus

6/26/2008 Last Quarter Moon

6/30/2008 Mars less than 0°45′ from the star Regulus