NASA’s nightwatch tips for June include one of the sky’s grandest shows

Each month, NASA shares its top tips on what to look out for in the sky over the following weeks, and June promises plenty of delights.

Planets … and the moon

The planets are out in force through the month, with Venus, Saturn, Mars, and even Mercury all putting in an appearance.

Weather permitting, you’ll be able to spot Venus — the brightest planet in our solar system — and Saturn in the eastern sky during the couple of hours before dawn each morning throughout June. Notice how Saturn rapidly climbs in the sky each day as the weeks pass by. Aligning with our nearest neighbor, you’ll find the third quarter moon next to Saturn on June 19, and a crescent moon next to Venus just a few days later on June 22. 

Look our for the salmon-pink glow of Mars in the couple of hours after sunset toward the west, though NASA points out that it’s noticeably fainter than it was at the beginning of last month. 

Around 16-17 June, Mars will appear to pass close to Regulus, the bright star at the heart of the constellation Leo, the lion. While the planets can be seen with the naked eye, grab a pair of binoculars or a telescope to get a decent view of Mars and Regulus appearing as close as the width of the full moon.

Mercury, too, is putting in an appearance this month, though it’ll be at its highest and most visible right at the end, on June 27.  Look for it quite low in the west, just as the glow of sunset is fading.

Milky Way

June also offers an ideal opportunity to view the stunning Milky Way galaxy, comprising hundreds of billions of stars, as well as vast amounts of cosmic dust and gas. The Milky Way, of which Earth is a part, appears as a faint band of hazy light arching across the night sky, and it’s a sight to behold. “You just need to be under dark skies away from bright city lights to see it,” NASA says, adding: “What you’re looking at is the bright central core of our home galaxy, seen edge-on, from our position within the galaxy’s disk.” Again, while it’s possible to view the Milky Way with the naked eye, a pair of binoculars or a telescope will significantly enhance what you see.

June solstice

The upcoming solstice, which marks the moment when the sun reaches its northernmost point in the sky, resulting in the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the shortest in the Southern Hemisphere, is on June 20.

NASA describes the event as “a consistent astronomical signpost that humans have observed for millennia. Ancient structures from Stonehenge to Chichén Itzá were built, in part, to align with the solstices, demonstrating how important these celestial events were to many cultures.”

It adds that if you find a quiet spot to watch the sunset on this special day, “you’ll be participating in one of humanity’s oldest astronomical traditions, connecting you to observers across thousands of years of human history.”