26-05-2007 June Night Sky (Article 87

Moderator: SAC Committee

Post Reply
Simon Kenny
Posts: 527
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2008 9:17 pm
Location: Shannon, Co. Clare, Ireland

26-05-2007 June Night Sky (Article 87

Post by Simon Kenny » Wed Feb 04, 2009 10:59 am

June Night Sky (Article 87)

During June, the MilkyWay runs high across the eastern sky, its misty glow like some supernatural celestial spectre in the less than dark skies of this month. Low in the north we find Capella, the brightest star in this part of the heavens during the month. Cassiopeia rides low in the NE, the Plough is high up in the west and Leo is setting in the west. High in the east nearer the zenith lies Vega and in the NE sky shines Deneb, a blistering hot giant star in the constellation Cygnus.

The small constellation of Corona Borealis, the northern crown, lies high in the south during June, just below our zenith. Looking like a miniature tiara, in Greek legend it was the wedding present given by Bacchus to Ariadne. A blue-white star, Gemma the brightest jewel in this crown, is actually a member of a group of stars in Ursa Major and moves through space with many of them. Many of the stars in the tiara shape are lovely in a small telescope, either for colour or appearing double. Located within the outline of the crown is a remarkable star, known as R Corona Borealis. This star is usually just visible to the unaided eye, but without warning it can fade to a level which requires a big telescope. This is due to the build up of carbon dust around the star, which blocks out its light for up to a few months at a time.

The ecliptic runs low at this time of the year so the planets are never seen high in the sky. The Moon’s path during this month is also low across the southern sky. While our NW evening sky is dominated by brilliant Venus all month, Jupiter is now low in the SE. Looking like a very bright star, the planet is nearest to Earth on 6th at 640 million km. Saturn can be found to the left of Venus, but is setting fast now, so the former two planets are our best for early summer. Summer Solstice on the 21st, is Midsummer’s Day, with longest period of daylight and shortest night.

Post Reply