The First Quarter Moon reveals extra element than the Full Moon. That’s as a result of when our satellite is Full, the Solar is instantly overhead and shadows are at their minimal. Credit score: Roberto Vaccari
Friday, June 23
The mighty eagle Aquila is rising within the east round sundown. Give it about two hours to start climbing out of the turbulent air close to the bottom and look first for its brightest star, magnitude 0.8 Altair. This glowing luminary anchors one of many three factors that make up the Summer time Triangle asterism; the opposite two are Deneb in Cygnus and Vega in Lyra.
Beginning at Altair, shift your gaze almost 8° south-southeast to land on 4th-magnitude Eta (η) Aquilae. Some 3,400 occasions brighter than the Solar, this star solely seems so faint as a result of it’s roughly 1,000 light-years distant. Additionally it is a comparatively short-period variable star that cycles between magnitudes 3.5 and 4.3 over the course of a few week. So, pay attention to its brightness in contrast with the celebs round it, and are available again each few days to see whether or not it’s presently brightening or fading. It’s a straightforward and enjoyable variable star to observe!
If in case you have a big telescope at your disposal — 10 inches or extra — Comet 237P/LINEAR is lurking close by. Final recorded at twelfth magnitude, it’s faint however holding regular. You may search for the small fuzzball 4° southeast of Eta tonight; it’s prone to seem spherical, virtually like a tiny galaxy or distant globular cluster, as a result of its tail is so small as to be unnoticeable. The comet will proceed to swing up and below Eta over the course of the week, so whereas circumstances are good, be at liberty to observe it night time after night time.
Dawn: 5:32 A.M.
Sundown: 8:32 P.M.
Moonrise: 10:28 A.M.
Moonset: —
Moon Part: Waxing crescent (26%)
*Instances for dawn, sundown, moonrise, and moonset are given in native time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 12 P.M. native time from the identical location.
Saturday, June 24
Saturn soars above the southeastern horizon a couple of hours earlier than dawn this morning, hanging roughly in the midst of the watery constellation Aquarius the Water-bearer. The magnitude 0.7 planet ought to be simple to identify towards the backdrop of fainter stars within the area.
Saturn’s two-toned moon Iapetus reaches western elongation in the present day, additionally shining at its brightest (roughly Tenth magnitude) as its lighter facet now faces Earth. You may find it early this morning some 9′ west of Saturn — that’s fairly far in comparison with its different moons! Against this, Titan (simple to identify at some 2 magnitudes brighter) lies solely 3′ east of Saturn. As a result of it’s simpler to determine, attempt discovering Titan first, then estimating its distance and looking out thrice as far on the opposite facet of Saturn to attempt searching down Iapetus.
A number of faint moons additionally cluster nearer to the planet: The best to see are Tenth-magnitude Tethys (simply east of the jap fringe of the rings), Dione (simply west and above the western fringe of the rings), and Rhea (farther west than Dione and according to the western fringe of the rings).
Dawn: 5:32 A.M.
Sundown: 8:33 P.M.
Moonrise: 11:29 A.M.
Moonset: 12:21 A.M.
Moon Part: Waxing crescent (35%)
Sunday, June 25
Spring and summer season are the perfect occasions of 12 months to search for noctilucent clouds hanging within the sky lengthy after darkish. These “night-glowing” clouds type excessive within the environment, some 10 occasions greater than cirrus. They’re composed of ice crystals that type round high-flying dust — and since they’re to date above the floor, they will proceed to mirror daylight even after the Solar has set out of your location. In reality, it’s common to see shows late into the night time, even after midnight and into the early-morning hours.
These clouds are largely seen to these above 55° north latitude. Step outdoors after darkish and look north to see for those who can spot these wispy, silvery clouds lengthy after any “regular,” decrease clouds have became darkish splotches within the night time sky. You don’t want any gear to get pleasure from noctilucent shows, although a pair of binoculars might help convey out finer particulars within the clouds if you want. Should you’re skilled with nightscape or time-lapse video, noctilucent clouds make glorious topics, so convey your tripod and digital camera (and even simply your smartphone) with you!
Dawn: 5:33 A.M.
Sundown: 8:33 P.M.
Moonrise: 12:28 P.M.
Moonset: 12:42 A.M.
Moon Part: Waxing crescent (44%)
Monday, June 26
The Moon reaches its First Quarter phase at 3:50 A.M. EDT. Rising within the afternoon and visual earlier than and after sundown, our satellite is ripe for statement this night, as First Quarter is among the finest occasions to get pleasure from its diversified face.
The bottom line is to focus first on the terminator, the road separating lunar night time from day. At this phase, the terminator splits the face of the Moon in half, highlighting the cratered southern hemisphere — giant pockmarks equivalent to Hipparchus and Albategnius particularly stand out. You’ll additionally see the rugged Apennine Mountains that type the southeastern rim of Mare Imbrium within the north; they lie simply southwest of the massive blotch of Mare Serenitas, now simply seen within the lunar northeast.
You may benefit from the Moon tonight with simply your bare eyes, or pull out binoculars or a telescope to zoom in on particulars within the terrain. If the moonlight is simply too shiny by means of the eyepiece, you may attempt a couple of methods, together with bumping up the magnification — which reduces the world you’re viewing and cuts down on the sunshine streaming by means of — and even carrying sun shades to watch. Moon filters, which screw into your eyepiece, are one other nice choice for those who continuously observe the Moon.
Dawn: 5:33 A.M.
Sundown: 8:33 P.M.
Moonrise: 1:29 P.M.
Moonset: 1:03 A.M.
Moon Part: Waxing gibbous (54%)
Tuesday, June 27
The distant gas giant Neptune has come to a near-stop near the Sixth-magnitude star 24 Piscium. It lies simply 1° north of this star and can sit right here for the subsequent few weeks; the planet formally reaches its stationary level on the first subsequent month.
The most effective time to search for Neptune is within the early-morning hours between about 1 A.M. and roughly an hour or two earlier than daybreak. The planet rises within the east simply after midnight and is a faint magnitude 7.8, requiring binoculars or a small telescope to identify it. Its disk is simply 2″ throughout and can seem as a “flat,” blue-gray star by means of the eyepiece. Along with 24 Psc, it types a roughly equilateral triangle with 20 Psc simply northeast of 24 Psc.
Zoom out from this image and you may as well spot one of many extra well-known asterisms within the sky: the Circlet of Pisces. It lies on the western finish of Pisces and includes seven stars (transferring clockwise from the primary): Lambda (λ), 19, Iota (ι), Theta (θ), 7, Gamma (γ), and Kappa (κ) Piscium. Particularly, you might discover that 19 Psc, additionally cataloged as TX Psc, is extremely crimson, even to the bare eye. This star comprises plentiful carbon in its environment, which scatters away all gentle however the crimson wavelengths, that are the one ones that attain our eyes. You may get pleasure from TX’s ruby-red hue much more by means of binoculars or any telescope.
Dawn: 5:33 A.M.
Sundown: 8:33 P.M.
Moonrise: 2:32 P.M.
Moonset: 1:23 A.M.
Moon Part: Waxing gibbous (64%)
Credit score: Astronomy: Roen Kelly
Wednesday, June 28
That is one other day for early risers, because the constellations Hercules and Corona Borealis characteristic prominently within the western sky within the hours earlier than dawn. With no Moon seen right now, it’s an ideal alternative to get in some deep-sky-gazing, significantly as Hercules homes the showpiece globular cluster M13 and probabilities to view it are dwindling because the summer season season progresses.
This shiny, large globular shines at magnitude 5.8 and spans virtually 20′ on the sky. It’s positioned simply 2.5° due south of magnitude 3.5 Eta Herculis and will be seen to the bare eye below good circumstances. Nevertheless, it actually stands out in binoculars or a telescope, as growing magnification will progressively start to resolve the fuzzball into myriad stars — of which it comprises a whole bunch of hundreds! This historic cluster of stars lies some 25,000 light-years away.
Drop down from there and also you’ll discover the small, curving constellation Corona Borealis, which sits above the bigger Boötes and its shiny star, Arcturus. Corona Borealis is dwelling to a well-known variable star referred to as R Coronae Borealis, or R Cor Bor, which lies about one-third of the best way from Epsilon (ϵ) to Theta CrB. R Cor Bor is an unpredictable variable that may change its brightness dramatically and with out warning. It’s normally a Sixth-magnitude star, however use the chart above to see for those who can decide its present brightness!
Dawn: 5:34 A.M.
Sundown: 8:33 P.M.
Moonrise: 3:38 P.M.
Moonset: 1:46 A.M.
Moon Part: Waxing gibbous (73%)
Thursday, June 29
Let’s return to Saturn this morning to see its moons’ orbits in motion. Giant, shiny Titan has moved from its earlier place east of the planet to a extra southerly location, passing due south of the disk proper across the time it rises for the jap half of the U.S. Over the subsequent few hours, the moon strikes slowly west, mendacity southwest of the planet’s heart because the morning progresses.
Now Tethys, Dione, and Rhea are all lined up properly to Saturn’s west, in that order from closest to farthest. And Iapetus nonetheless lies far to the west; it doesn’t seem to have moved a lot from its spot earlier this week.
Saturn isn’t the one gas giant hanging within the morning sky, although it’s the first. Mighty Jupiter rises later — shortly after 2 A.M. native daylight time — with Europa crossing the disk for these on the East Coast which are capable of catch a very good glimpse amid the turbulent air close to the bottom. The moon slips off the disk round 3 A.M. EDT and retains transferring west. Callisto lies alone to the east of the planet, at the same time as Europa joins Io (nearer) and Ganymede (farther) to the west.
Dawn: 5:34 A.M.
Sundown: 8:33 P.M.
Moonrise: 4:48 P.M.
Moonset: 2:11 A.M.
Moon Part: Waxing gibbous (82%)
Friday, June 30
Mars and Venus have come a good distance from their positions earlier this month, once they slid by means of the Beehive Cluster in Most cancers. The 2 shiny planets proceed to dominate the night sky, each now in Leo to the west of shiny Regulus, virtually in a straight line with the star. They’re about 15° excessive within the western sky an hour after sundown and set round 11 P.M. native daylight time, lingering lengthy after twilight and affording you some high quality observing. Should you keep in mind their configuration earlier within the month, you’ll be aware they’ve closed the hole between them and now stand simply 3.5° aside.
Venus is much brighter at magnitude –4.6, whereas Mars is magnitude 1.7. Focusing in on Venus first, Earth’s sister planet now reveals off a disk that’s 32 p.c lit and 33″ broad. Mars, in the meantime, seems totally illuminated however is barely 4″ throughout. Though the planets don’t set for a couple of hours after sundown, you’ll need to catch them earlier somewhat than later, earlier than they sink too near the horizon.
As extra stars come out towards the darkening sky, you might also see well-known asterisms such because the Sickle of Leo and the Massive and Little dippers start to look close by.
Dawn: 5:35 A.M.
Sundown: 8:33 P.M.
Moonrise: 6:01 P.M.
Moonset: 2:42 A.M.
Moon Part: Waxing gibbous (90%)
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