Fred Barrett | Jun 02, 2021


On June 10th, an Annular Solar Eclipse will be visible over northern Ontario. An annular eclipse happens when the Moon doesn’t quite cover the whole solar disk and the Sun can still be seen around the shadow of the Moon. It occurs when the Moon is at apogee or farthest in its orbit from the Earth and can’t cover the whole solar disk. The Sun looks like a donut with an especially big hole in the middle. But never fear, we are close enough to the action to end up with a partial solar eclipse as a consolation prize. The Moon will cover 80.18% of the Sun.

Our partial will occur at sunrise and you will need welder’s goggles (NOT sunglasses) to see it safely. If you don’t have that protection, you can make a crude but effective pinhole camera easily. Poke a small hole in a piece of white cardboard with a pin or a thumbtack. Make sure the hole is smooth. Let the sunlight pass through the pinhole and fall on a white sheet of paper or cardboard. A miniature, inverted image of the Sun will be projected on that sheet. You can play with the distance that separates the sheets to get the best size and effect.

In our area on that day, the Sun rises at 5:14 am. Maximum coverage occurs at 5:40 am and the partial eclipse ends at 6:39. All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

You will need a clear eastern horizon. The Sun will be only 3.2 degrees above the horizon at maximum partial eclipse and 12.5 degrees at the end. Weather in the past has been cloudy 50% of the time on this date. Let’s hope that luck is on our side.

Venus is low but brightly prominent in the low western sky about 30 minutes after sunset. It’s elevated about 6 degrees above the horizon. View it early because it’s gone by 10 pm. Watch for Venus very near a thin crescent Moon on June 11th. Venus is visible through all of June. Use your binoculars to spot Venus near the Beehive cluster just east of Venus at the end of June.

On June 13th , Mars can be seen with a 3 day old crescent Moon and the Beehive cluster. The Beehive is 4.5 degrees southeast of the Moon and Mars 3 degrees southwest.

Saturn and Jupiter rise in the southeast after midnight and are beautiful views. Jupiter is at 40 degrees above the horizon just before sunrise on the 30th. It’s a perfect month to follow Jupiter’s moons.

Neptune is in the northeast sector of Aquarius and rises after 2 am in the southeast. Uranus is a predawn riser this month in the east and is in Aries. A good star chart will be a necessary companion in the hunt for both these planets.

Don’t forget summer solstice is on June 20th at 11:32 pm EDT.

Highlights of the Month: (All times are EDT) June 2: Last quarter Moon. The Moon sails close under Neptune at 9 pm. June 7: The Moon is at apogee – 403,869 Kms. The Moon is just under Uranus at 2 am. June 10: New Moon. Partial eclipse can be viewed in our area starting at sunrise. June 12: Moon passes 1.5 degrees north of Venus at 3 am. June 17: First quarter Moon. June 20: Summer solstice at 11:32 pm. June 23: Moon at perigee – 357,866 Kms. June 24: Full Moon. This one is called the Full strawberry Moon – a berry anticipated time for me. I was born with a strawberry birth mark and glorify in this wonderful fruit. It’s also known as the Full Centeki Moon – sockeye salmon. June 27: The Moon is 4 degrees below Saturn at 5 am.

Stay safe and keep looking up! That’s a wrap. Keep looking up!

Useful books, star charts and related items for beginners through to advanced amateurs can be ordered from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada at www.rasc.ca/publications. A subscription to our very own excellent Canadian astronomy magazine “SkyNews” can be arranged at the RASC website as well.

Let me know how your observing has gone this month, especially anything unusual. I enjoy the feedback. If you have any questions or suggestions you can contact me through this paper or email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Clear Skies! Fred

Support local
independant journalism by becoming a patron of the Frontenac News.