Wednesday, June 02, 2021
Southern Skywatch June 2021 edition is now out!
Evening sky on Saturday, June 12 showing the western sky as seen from Adelaide at 17:39 ACST (30 minutes after sunset). Venus is close to the crescent Moon.
(similar views will be seen Australia wide at the equivalent local time, 30 minutes after sunset) click to embiggen.
The June edition of Southern Skywatch is now up.
This month the planetary action is mostly in the evening skies, Saturn and Jupiter are now readily visible in the late evening skies, Venus becomes easier to see, the Earth is at solstice and fading Mars crosses the beehive cluster.
1-8 June; Mars forms a line with the bright stars Pollux and Castor. June 2 Last Quarter. June 8; apogee Moon. June 10; New Moon. June 12; thin crescent Moon and Venus close. June 13-14; Mars and crescent Moon close. June 18; First Quarter Moon, June 21; Earth at Solstice. June 23; perigee Moon. June 23rd and 24th; Mars passes directly over the Beehive cluster. June 25; Full Moon. June 27; the Moon close to Saturn. June 28; the waning moon is near Jupiter.
Mercury Mercury returns to the morning twilight by mid-month. However, it is only visible in the last week of June, below the bright red star Aldebaran.
Venus is now easily visible in the evening sky 30 minutes after sunset (I can see it as early as 15 minutes after sunset). Venus begins to dominate the early evening twilight and on the 12th is a mere 2 finger-widths from the crescent Moon.
Mars is low above the western horizon, best seen an hour to an hour and a half after sunset. Mars starts in Gemini this month then moves into cancer. On the 1st Mars forms a line with the bright “twins” Pollux and Castor. Mars is then bracketed by the crescent Moon on the 13th and 14th by about a hand-span. On the 23rd and 24th Mars passes directly over the Beehive cluster
Jupiter Jupiter is readily visible around midnight and continues to climb in to the late evening sky. On the 1st Jupiter is a handspan from the waning Moon, and again on the 28th.
Saturn rises well before midnight from the beginning of the month but is still best seen in the morning. On the 26th the waning moon is above Saturn and Jupiter. On the 27th the Moon close to Saturn and Jupiter. On the 28th the moon is near Jupiter, then on the 29th the waning moon again forms a line with Jupiter and Saturn.
Apogee June 8; Moon at perigee June 23.
Labels: southern skywatch
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