SkyWatch

June 1999

by Steve Stefanik

The planets Mars and Venus are still the main attraction this June. By sunset both can be seen through the darkening blue sky. Venus will easily be seen first high in the west. You can’t miss the -4.4 magnitude beacon near the two bright stars Castor and Pollux in the constellation Gemini. Mars, although somewhat dimmer at magnitude -1.1, can also be seen fairly easily high in the south within two degrees of the bright blue first magnitude star Spica in the constellation Virgo. Mars will begin to inch its way eastward away from Spica with each passing June night as it ends its retrograde (backwards) motion until it is five degrees away by month’s end. Venus on the other hand is hurtling toward Earth so it is increasing in size and brightness from -4.2 to -4.4 magnitude and 21 arc seconds across. It reaches dichotomy (half lit) on June 10 and greatest elongation from the sun on June 11. It begins to lose altitude by the end of the month.

The planet Mercury also makes a brief appearance this month. Begin looking for this elusive -0.5 magnitude planet in the northwest after the sun goes down. On the evening of the 15th it will appear 10 degrees to the right of a thin waxing cresent moon. It reaches its highest altitude on the 17th and forms an almost staright line with the stars Castor and Pollux.

The Summer Solstice occurs at 3:49 p.m. EDT on June 21. The spring-time constellations of Cancer, Leo, and Virgo are now past the meridian at sunset and the summer constellations of Lyra, Altair, and Cygnus are rising before midnight.

If you are still awake after midnight the planets Neptune and Uranus are rising in the east among the stars of Capricorn.

If you are up before dawn the planets Jupiter and Saturn will also be up in the east. A waxing gibbous moon will be near Jupiter on the morning of June 9 and near the planet Saturn on the morning of the 11th.

The planet Pluto reached opposition on May 31. It is within the stars of the constellation Ophiuchus but you’ll need at least an 8 inch aperature telescope and a good map to find it.

The new moon occurs on the 13th and the full moon occurs on the 28th.