What’s Up in the June Sky?
June’s Evening Planets:
Bright Venus will be up until around 10 PM moving between Gemini the Twins and Cancer the Crab. Mercury will be in Taurus the Bull until around 9 PM in the first week of June. Red Mars will be up until around 11 PM moving between Gemini the Twins and Cancer the Crab. Mercury will be in Taurus the Bull. Saturn is in Capricornus the Sea-goat as of midnight and rising earlier every night. Dwarf Pluto will be in Sagittarius the Archer as of midnight and rising earlier every night until 10 PM by the end of June.
June’s Evening Stars:
Spot the Summer Triangle of Vega in Lyra the Harp, Deneb in Cygnus the Swan, and Altair in Aquila the Eagle. Look for reddish Antares in Scorpius the Scorpion, Arcturus in Bootes the Herdsman, Spica in Virgo the Maiden, along with the stars of constellations Lyra, Hercules, Scorpius, Sagittarius, Libra, Leo, Cepheus, Ophiuchus, Cassiopeia, Draco, and Ursa Major and Ursa Minor (the Big and Little Dippers).
June’s Morning Planets:
Mercury will be in Taurus the Bull in the last week of June, as of around 5 AM. Jupiter is in Aquarius the Water Bearer and Saturn is in Capricornus the Sea-goat lingering until sunrise. Neptune is between Aquarius the Water bearer and Pisces the Fish as of 2 AM and rising earlier every night. Uranus will be in Cetus the Sea monster around 4 AM and rising earlier every day. Dwarf Pluto will be in Sagittarius the Archer until dawn.
June’s Morning Stars:
The Summer Triangle of Vega in Lyra the Harp, Deneb in Cygnus the Swan, and Altair in Aquila the will be up until sunrise. This month, look for Arcturus in Boötes, Capella in Auriga the Charioteer along with the stars of constellations Hercules, Sagittarius, Aquarius, Pegasus, Perseus, Andromeda, Capricornus, Cepheus , Ophiuchus, Cassiopeia, Draco, Ursa Major, and Ursa Minor (the Big and Little Dippers).
June Skylights:
June 3: Last quarter Moon at 3:25 AM
June 7: Moon at apogee (252,400 miles away)
June 10: New Moon at 6:50 AM
June 17: First Quarter Moon at 11:55 AM
June 20: Summer solstice – longest day of 2021
June 23: Moon at perigee (223,700 miles away)
June 24: Jupiter, Saturn, Moon, and Antares line up – midnight
June 24: Full Moon at 2:40 PM – Strawberry Moon
June 28: Spica, Regulus, Mars, and Venus line up – Sunset
Times given in EDT.
Resources
Download Ken Graun’s June 2021 sky chart for reference and observing ideas.
Another equally helpful resource is Skymaps’ monthly evening sky chart, available for different hemispheres. Download The Evening Sky Map for June.
