Feature Article June 6 2003
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Night Skies of June The Planet Mars Begins A Spectacular PerformanceWith the coming of June, we expect to have our longest days and shortest nights. On the solstice (meaning the sun standing still), June 21, the sun appears at its northernmost location during the year. The sun rises now well north of the eastern point on the horizon, and it sets well north of the western point on the horizon. Some people have noticed that in the early morning and late evening in June, rays of sunlight actually shine in the north-facing windows of our houses. The times of earliest sunrise and latest sunset (a fact that is surprising to many people) are very dependent on the latitude where one lives, and are not precisely on the date of the solstice. At our latitude in North and Central Frontenac, the date of earliest sunrise is actually June 15, at 5:21 a.m. EDT. This is one whole minute earlier than the sunrise time on June 21. The latest sunset here is on June 27, at 8:54 p.m. EDT, over a minute later than the sunset time on June 21. The day-to-day change in the sunrise and sunset times in the month of June is only seconds.
In June, the first hint of morning twilight begins a few minutes before 3 a.m. during most of the month. Evening twilight lasts until after 11 p.m. every night this month, with the latest being about 11:20 p.m. In other words, at this latitude, there is a totally dark night sky for only about 3 hours.
Among the bright planets to be seen this month, Jupiter will be the first one noticed in evening twilight. It is by far the brightest object in the western part of the sky, and is well up in the west when it first appears, and may be observed until it sets about midnight in early June. However, careful observers may notice that it appears slightly lower from night to night and sets before the end of twilight by the end of the month. Enjoy the view of this very bright planet this month, because next month it will do almost exactly as Saturn is doing this month.
Saturn, the second bright planet, is now a good distance below Jupiter and may be seen for only about an hour or so above the western horizon, but be sure to look for it in the first week of June. It appears lower from evening to evening, and by June 10, it may be too low to be seen at all except with binoculars and a very good view of the western horizon. Do not expect to see Saturn at all in the last half of the month.
Though Saturn may pass out of our view, another planet, Mars, is replacing it and will remain a fascinating object for several months. This reddish planet rises in the east-southeast about an hour after midnight in early June and at about midnight in late June. Its reddish presence then dominates the southeastern sky until well into morning twilight As observers will easily notice, Mars changes very significantly during the month, as its orbit around the sun, and the earths orbit combine to bring the two planets much closer together, a process that will continue for two more months, so that by late August the planets will be closer than they have been for thousands of years! As a result, Mars will appear slightly brighter and larger (for those who have a telescope to appreciate its size) than it has appeared in thousands of years! If there is anything that a person should not miss this summer it is seeing the changes in brightness and the movement among the background stars of the planet Mars. Try to take a careful note of, even to draw, the stars in the area where Mars appears at several times this month, so that a comparison can be made from night to night as Mars is seen moving among the stars in June, July, and August. (Much more will be written in this column over the next three months about viewing Mars, the Red Planet.)
The brilliantly bright Venus is seen only very low in the east and for about an hour, or less, before the time of sunrise. It may be seen in that part of the sky for the entire month, and if binoculars are available, the planet Mercury may be observed slightly to the right of Venus during the first three weeks of the month. However, as with seeing Saturn in the western evening sky, a very good view of the eastern sky, right down to the horizon, will be needed.
Over the last month there have been several nights when the Aurora Borealis put on an interesting display. Skywatchers should be alert this month for continued displays of the northern lights.
Though the nights of June are relatively short, there is a great deal to see and enjoy, even during twilight. As the Great Summer Triangle rises in the east, as the great arm of the Milky Way sweeps overhead, and as the Great Sagittarius Starcloud, marking the core of our home galaxy of stars, takes its place in the southern sky, ENJOY!
You may wish to use a good book with star maps to review or learn the summer stars; an example is The Beginners Observing Guide, which is now available at Sharbot Lake Pharmacy.
