| June
20 |
E |
The summer solstice (Sun shining
farthest north on Earth) occurs at 7:59 p.m. |
| 26 |
Last Quarter Moon |
|
| 30 |
!! |
Look high in the west after
sunset to see a close conjunction of
orange MARS (magnitude +1.6) with the white star Regulus (magnitude +1.4) in Leo.
The two objects come within 0.7 degree of each other, with yellowish
SATURN about 5 degrees away. (Also see the July 10 entry.) |
| July
1 |
The waning crescent Moon reaches
perigee at 359,513 km [223,391 miles] from Earth's center. |
|
| 2 |
New Moon |
|
| 4 |
E |
Earth reaches aphelion, greatest
distance from the Sun, at 152,104,136 km or 94,513,128 miles,
around 3 a.m. |
| 4 |
! |
The slim crescent Moon passes
near Messier 44, the Beehive star
cluster in Cancer the Crab. |
| 6 |
! |
The waxing crescent Moon passes
near MARS and SATURN. |
| 9 |
! |
The bright planet JUPITER
reaches opposition to the
Sun, rising in the SE at sunset and visible low in the southern sky all
night, shining at magnitude -2.7 and displaying a whopping 47
arc-second striped disk for telescope observers. (If you don't have a
telescope but do have binoculars, the four brightest moons of Jupiter
can still be seen around it. If you can steady your binoculars (for
example, with a tripod mount), it can be fun to record the nightly
changes in the moons' positions, just as Galileo did four centuries
ago.) |
| 10 |
First Quarter Moon |
|
| 10 |
!! |
Look low in the W twilight sky
(after sunset) for a close conjunction
of MARS and SATURN. Saturn is the brighter of the close pair. |
| 14 |
The waxing gibbous Moon reaches
apogee at 405,452 km [251,936 miles] from Earth's center. |
|
| 18 |
FULL Buck MOON |
|
| 25 |
Last Quarter Moon |
|
| 29 |
The waning crescent Moon reaches
perigee at 363,883 km [226,106 miles] from Earth's center. |
|
| Aug.
1 |
New Moon (there are TWO this
month!) |
|
| 8 |
First Quarter Moon |
|
| 10 |
The waxing gibbous Moon reaches
apogee at 404,556 km [251,379 miles] from Earth's center. |
|
| 11/12 |
! |
The waxing gibbous Moon
should interfere only slightly with viewing of the Perseid meteor shower; look NE
around midnight and in the hours following. The Perseid shower is an
"old reliable," so get a lawn chair, a blanket, a thermos of something
hot and a red flashlight and go watch Perseids! An observer from a dark
location (away from most direct lighting, and after moonset) should be
able to see dozens of swift meteors per hour. |
| 13 |
! |
Look low in the W after sunset
for a close conjunction of
brilliant VENUS with SATURN. |
| 15 |
! |
Look low in the W after sunset
for a close conjunction of
MERCURY and SATURN. Mercury will be the brighter of the close pair. |
| 16 |
FULL Sturgeon MOON; the rising
Moon may look slightly dimmer than usual because (from our location) it
is emerging from a partial eclipse, visible in its entirety from
eastern portions of Africa and Europe. The Moon will leave Earth's
penumbral (outer) shadow at 7:55 p.m., only 8 minutes after rising (as
seen from Danbury). |
|
| 22 |
! |
Look low in the W after sunset
for a close conjunction of
MERCURY and much-brighter VENUS. Mercury will reach its greatest
eastern elongation (best visible as an evening planet) on the evening
of Sept. 10. |
| 23 |
Last Quarter Moon |
|
| 26 |
The waning crescent Moon reaches
perigee at 368,696 km [229,097 miles] from Earth's center. |
|
| 30 |
New Moon |
|
| MERCURY | — |
is visible before dawn low in
the E sky toward the end of
the June and reaches greatest western elongation on July 1. By the end
of July, it has vanished again into the Sun's glare. In August, Mercury
emerges as an evening planet (look W after sunset) and is near Venus
and Saturn around mid-month. |
| VENUS | — | gradually emerges from the Sun's
glare into the evening twilight sky, during late July and through
August. It will dominate the evening sky throughout the fall. Mark the evening of November 30 on your
calendars now! Venus will have a striking conjunction then, with
Jupiter and the crescent Moon. |
| MARS | — |
in Leo
during June and July, moving into Virgo during August, is visible in
the early evening western sky. On June 30, look for
Mars and the star
Regulus to make a very close, striking pair, similar in brightness but
noticeably different in color. Mars also passes close to Saturn
on the evening of July 10.
|
| JUPITER | — | reaches opposition on July 9,
rising in the SE at sunset and visible low in the southern sky
thereafter. It rises (and sets) a little earlier during August but is
still conspicuous in the southern evening sky. |
| SATURN | — | is low in the W sky after sunset
during July and begins to vanish into the Sun's glare after mid-August.
It will reappear in the E pre-dawn sky during late September. |
STAR WATCH is brought to you by WCSU Astronomy. Thanks for
connecting! For more information, please call the Observatory line at
(203) 837 - 8672
or Dr. Dennis Dawson at (203) 837 - 8671.