Size comparison of terrestrial planets (left to right): Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars

Saturn is now in the south southwest at dusk.  Look just to the west of due south, about 2/3 of the way up from the horizon to the zenith, and you will see Saturn in the sky.

Venus remains high in the evening sky during June.  Face west at dusk and look for a point of light that outshines everything in the sky but the sun and the moon.

Mars is high in the evening sky, although not as bright as it was in winter.  Since January 29, Earth has been pulling ahead of Mars on its faster orbit.  As a result, Mars gets slightly dimmer each night for the rest of 2010.  As June opens, Mars is approaching the star Regulus in Leo from the right.  Mars is right next to the star on June 5, then pulls away from the star to the left after that.  Look high in the west at dusk for a reddish point of light.

Jupiter is in the south-southeast at dawn this month.  It outshines all stars in the sky, so it’s easy to find.

Spring stars are high in the south and west.  A distinct backwards question mark shape outlines the mane and forepaws of Leo, the Lion.  Three stars forming a right triangle are to its upper left; they mark Leo’s hindquarters.  The Big Dipper is as high as it ever gets in the north at dusk. You can extend the curve of its handle to ‘arc to Arcturus’ and then ‘speed on to Spica.’  These stars high in the east and south, respectively, by dusk tonight.  Arcturus, by the way, is the fourth brightest star we ever see at night, but the brightest one Americans ever see in all of June and July.

In the east, look for the enormous Summer Triangle, consisting of the stars Deneb, Vega, and Altair.   This triangle is up all night long in June and July, hence its name.  Scorpius, the Scorpion, is in the southeast at dusk.  Sagittarius, the Archer, known for its ‘teapot’ asterism, rises just after dusk on June 1, but is up by nightfall on June 30.

Moon Phases in June 2010:

Last Quarter                  June 4, 5:13 p.m.

New Moon                      June 12, 6:14 a.m.

First Quarter                  June 18, 11:30 p.m.

Full Moon                        June 26, 6:30 a.m.

photo credit: ronnie44052

The full moon of Saturday, June 26, will set in partial eclipse.  At 3:55 a.m., the moon first touches the penumbra of the Earth, the region where Earth partially blocks the sun.  The main event starts at 5:16 a.m., when the moon begins to enter the umbra, or the shadow itself.  The moon is not truly aligned with the Earth and sun this time, though, so it will not go all the way into the shadow.  This is why we have only a partial eclipse, with only the north (upper) limb of the moon in shadow.  The moon is still partly inside the umbra as it sets at 6:25 a.m.  (Although we no longer see it, the moon remains partially eclipsed until 8 a.m.)

This eclipse is merely a ‘warm-up’ for the spectacular total lunar eclipse we will have just after midnight on December 21.

At 6:29 a.m. on Monday, June 21, the sun is directly overhead at the Tropic of Cancer. Therefore, this day’s midday sun as high as possible in our skies.  This, then, is the moment of the summer solstice.  Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere enjoy more daylight on this day than on any other day of the year.