Post by Dave Mitsky on Jun 6, 2022 4:43:35 GMT
June 2022 Celestial Calendar by Dave Mitsky
All times, unless otherwise noted, are UT (subtract four hours and, when appropriate, one calendar day for EDT)
6/1 The Moon is 0.1 degrees north of the dwarf planet/asteroid 1 Ceres, with an occultation taking place in extreme northeastern South America, the Caribbean, most of Mexico, far southern Canada, the continental United States, Hawaii, and northern Polynesia at 21:00
6/2 The Moon is at apogee, subtending 29' 25" from a distance of 406,191 kilometers (252,396 miles), at 1:13
6/3 Mercury is stationary at 0:00
6/5 Saturn is stationary, with retrograde (western) motion to begin, at 14:00
6/6 Venus is at its greatest heliocentric latitude south today; asteroid 29 Amphitrite is at opposition today; the Purbach Cross or Lunar X, an X-shaped clair-obscur illumination effect involving various rims and ridges between the craters La Caille, Blanchinus, and Purbach, is predicted to be visible at 21:10
6/7 First Quarter Moon occurs at 14:48
6/11 Venus is 1.6 degrees south of Uranus at 13:00
6/14 The earliest sunrise of the year at latitude 40 degrees north occurs today; Full Moon, known as the Rose, Flower, or Strawberry Moon, occurs at 11:52; the Moon is at perigee, subtending 33' 26" from a distance of 357,436 kilometers (222,098 miles), at 23:23
6/16 Mercury is at greatest western elongation (23 degrees) at 15:00
6/17 Mercury is at its greatest heliocentric latitude south today
6/18 The Moon is 4 degrees south of Saturn at 12:00
6/19 The Moon is 0.7 degrees south of asteroid 4 Vesta, with an occultation taking place in southwestern Africa, the Falkland Islands, the tip of South America, and most of Antarctica, at 8:00
6/20 The Moon is 4 degrees south of Neptune at 17:00
6/21 The Last Quarter Moon occurs at 3:11; the northern hemisphere summer solstice occurs at 9:14; Mars is at perihelion at 13:00; the Moon is 3 degrees south of Jupiter at 14:00
6/22 Mercury is at dichotomy (50% illuminated) today; the Curtiss Cross, an X-shaped clair-obscur illumination effect located between the craters Parry and Gambart, is predicted to be visible at 20:53; the Moon is 0.9 degrees south of Mars, with an occultation taking place in southeastern Polynesia, Marie Byrd Land, Oates Land, and George V Land, at 18:00
6/24 The Moon is 0.05 degrees south of Uranus, with an occultation taking place in Hawaii, Micronesia, northwestern Melanesia, eastern Indonesia, and northern and western Australia, at 22:00
6/26 The Moon is 3 degrees north of Venus at 8:00
6/27 The latest sunset of the year at latitude 40 degrees north occurs today; the Moon is 4 degrees north of Mercury at 8:00
6/28 Neptune is stationary, with retrograde (westward) motion to begin, at 23:00
6/29 New Moon (lunation 1231) occurs at 2:52; the Moon is at apogee, subtending 29' 23" from a distance of 406,579 kilometers (252,637 miles), at 6:08
Giovanni Cassini (1625-1712), John Dollond (1706-1761), Charles Messier (1730-1817), William Lassell (1799-1880), George Ellery Hale (1868-1938), and Carolyn Shoemaker (1929) were born this month.
The British astronomer Edmund Halley discovered M13 on June 1, 1714. The French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille discovered the globular cluster M55 on June 16, 1752. A transit of the Sun by Venus was observed by Austrian, British, and French astronomers from various parts of the world on June 6, 1761. The French astronomer Charles Messier discovered the globular cluster M14 on June 1st, 1764, the emission and reflection nebula M20 (the Trifid Nebula) on June 5, 1764, and the open cluster M23 on June 20, 1764. The globular cluster M62 was discovered by Charles Messier on June 7, 1771. The French astronomer Pierre Méchain discovered his first deep-sky object, the spiral galaxy M63 (the Sunflower Galaxy), on June 14, 1779. The German/English astronomer William Herschel discovered the globular cluster NGC 6288 on June 24, 1784. Neptune was independently discovered by the British astronomer John Couch Adams on June 5, 1846. The Italian astronomer Giovanni Battista Donati discovered Comet C/1858 L1 (Donati), the first comet to be photographed, on June 2, 1858. A large storm on Saturn was observed by the American astronomer E. E. Barnard. The Tunguska event occurred on June 30, 1908. The largest known solar flare was recorded on June 27, 1984. The Georgian astronomer Givi Kimeridze discovered a Type Ia supernova in the spiral galaxy M58 on June 28, 1989. Namaka, a satellite of the dwarf planet Haumea, was discovered on June 30, 2005. Kerberos, Pluto’s fourth satellite, was discovered by the Hubble Space Telescope team on June 28, 2011.
Information on passes of the ISS, the USAF’s X-37B, the HST, Starlink, and other satellites can be found at www.heavens-above.com/
The Moon is 1.3 days old, is illuminated 1.5%, subtends 29.7 arc minutes, and is located in Taurus on June 1st at 0:00 UT. The Moon is at its greatest northern declination of +27.0 degrees on June 2nd and +26.9 degrees on June 29th and at its greatest southern declination of -26.7 degrees on June 15th. Longitudinal libration is at a maximum of +7.7 degrees on June 21st and a minimum of -7.5 degrees on June 9th. Latitudinal libration is at a maximum of +6.7 degrees on June 18th and a minimum of -6.8 degrees on June 6th. Favorable librations for the following craters occur on the indicated dates: Galvani on June 14th, Sylvester on June 15th, and Peterman on June 16th. The Moon is at apogee on June 2nd and June 29th and at perigee on June 23rd. Large tides will occur following the Full Moon on June 14th. New Moon occurs on June 29th. The Moon passes close to the bright open cluster M35 in Gemini at 11:00 UT on June 1st, the first-magnitude star Castor (Alpha Geminorum) at 1:00 UT on June 3rd, the first-magnitude star Pollux (Beta Geminorum) at 6:00 UT on June 3rd, the bright open cluster M44 (the Beehive Cluster or Praesepe) in Cancer at 11:00 UT on June 4th, the first-magnitude star Regulus (Alpha Leonis) at 8:00 UT on June 6th, the first-magnitude star Spica (Alpha Virginis) at 12:00 UT on June 10th, the first-magnitude star Antares (Alpha Scorpii) at 16:00 UT on June 13th, the bright open cluster M45 (the Pleiades or Subaru) in Taurus at 1:00 UT on June 26th, and the first-magnitude star Aldebaran (Alpha Tauri) at 19:00 on June 26th. The Moon occults the third-magnitude star Eta Leonis on the night of June 5th for observers in the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America and second-magnitude star Dschubba (Delta Scorpii) on the morning of June 12th for observers in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada. From certain parts of the world, the Moon occults 1 Ceres on June 1st, 4 Vesta on June 19th, Mars on June 22nd, and Uranus on June 25th. In 2022, 14 lunar occultations will take place, while only 4 occurred last year. The trend in lunar occultations is increasing, with 19 expected in 2023, 54 expected in 2024, 41 expected in 2025, 46 in 2026, and 22 in 2027. Browse www.lunar-occultations.com/iota/iotandx.htm for information on lunar occultation events. Visit saberdoesthestars.wordpress.com/2011/07/05/saber-does-the-stars/ for tips on spotting extreme crescent Moons and curtrenz.com/moon.html for Full Moon and other lunar data. Go to skyandtelescope.org/wp-content/uploads/MoonMap.pdf and celestron-site-support-files.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/support_files/Explore%20the%20Moon%20Map%2024%20x%2033%20RReeves-web.pdf and nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/docs/ObserveMoon.pdf for simple lunar maps. Click on astrostrona.pl/moon-map/ for an excellent online lunar map. Visit www.ap-i.net/avl/en/start to download the free Virtual Moon Atlas. Consult time.unitarium.com/moon/where.html for current information on the Moon and www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/lunarform/lunarform.html for information on various lunar features. See svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4955 a lunar phase and libration calculator and quickmap.lroc.asu.edu/?extent=-90,-25.2362636,90,25.2362636&proj=10&layers=NrBsFYBoAZIRnpEoAsjYIHYFcA2vIBvAXwF1SizSg for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) Quickmap. Click on www.calendar-12.com/moon_calendar/2022/june for a lunar phase calendar for this month. Times and dates for the lunar crater light rays predicted to occur this month are available at www.lunar-occultations.com/rlo/rays/rays.htm
The Sun is located in Taurus on June 1st. It enters Gemini on June 21st. The Sun reaches its farthest position north for the year on June 21st. There are 15 hours and one minute of daylight at latitude 40 degrees north on that day. At latitude 40 degrees north, the earliest sunrise occurs on June 14th and the latest sunset on June 27th. For an explanation of why this occurs, click on earthsky.org/tonight/earliest-sunrises-before-june-solstice-jupiter-venus/
Brightness, apparent size, illumination, distance from the Earth in astronomical units, and location data for the planets and Pluto on June 1st: Mercury (+2.9, 11.3", 8% illuminated, 0.59 a.u., Taurus), Venus (-3.9, 13.7", 78% illuminated, 1.22 a.u., Aries), Mars (magnitude +0.7, 6.4", 87% illuminated, 1.46 a.u., Pisces), Jupiter (magnitude -2.3, 37.3", 99% illuminated, 5.28 a.u., Pisces), Saturn (magnitude +0.8, 17.4", 100% illuminated, 9.57 a.u., Capricornus), Uranus on June 16th (magnitude +5.8, 3.4", 100% illuminated, 20.49 a.u., Aries), Neptune on June 16th (magnitude +7.9, 2.3", 100% illuminated, 29.91 a.u., Pisces), and Pluto on June 16th (magnitude +14.3, 0.1", 100% illuminated, 33.69 a.u., Sagittarius).
Saturn can be found in the east at midnight. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus are located in the east, Neptune in the southeast, and Saturn in the south in the morning sky.
When Mercury enters the morning sky, the five classical planets will be distributed from east to west in order of their distance from the Sun and will be visible to the unaided eye. On June 4th, Mercury and Venus are separated by 18 degrees, Venus and Mars by 30 degrees, Mars and Jupiter by 4 degrees, and Jupiter and Saturn by 39 degrees. The waning crescent Moon enters the picture on June 23rd and June 24th. The Moon and Uranus lie between Venus and Mars and Neptune and asteroid 4 Vesta (magnitude +7.1) between Jupiter and Saturn on June 24th. Pluto is situated to the southwest of Saturn. The seven planets span approximately 107 degrees on that morning. An article on this rare planetary alignment can be seen on pages 48 and 49 of the June 2022 issue of Sky & Telescope.
Mercury is stationary on June 3rd. The speediest planet is too dim to be easily seen until around June 7th. The span from Mercury and Saturn is 91 degrees that morning and will increase as June progresses. Mercury lies eight degrees south of M45 on the morning of June 13th and shines at magnitude +0.5 when it reaches greatest western elongation on June 16th. Venus and M45 form an equilateral triangle with Mercury on that date. The following day Mercury is at its southernmost latitude from the ecliptic plane. The waning crescent Moon passes four degrees north of Mercury on June 27th.
Venus shines brilliantly at magnitude -3.9 as it continues to head sunward. Its elongation from the Sun decreases from 37 to 30 degrees during June. Venus increases in illumination from 78 to 86% as it shrinks in apparent size from 13.7 to 11.9 arc seconds. On June 6th, Venus is at its southernmost latitude from the ecliptic plane. The brightest planet lies less than two degrees south of Uranus on June 11th. The waning crescent Moon passes directly between M45 and Melotte 25 (the Hyades) and slightly less than three degrees north of Venus on June 26th, the closest observable conjunction of the Moon and Venus this year.
Mars increases in brightness from +0.7 to +0.5 magnitude and from 6.4 to 7.2 arc seconds in apparent size this month. Mars reaches perihelion on June 21st. The waning crescent Moon passes less than a degree south of the Red Planet on June 22nd. The first of three lunar occultations of Mars occurring in 2022 takes place on that date.
Jupiter rises shortly before 1:00 a.m. local time as June draws to an end. The gas giant planet brightens slightly from magnitude -2.3 to magnitude -2.4 and grows in apparent size from 37.3 to 40.7 arc seconds. The Last Quarter Moon passes three degrees south of Jupiter on June 21st. Jupiter’s eastward motion carries it from Pisces to Cetus late in the month. On the morning of June 5th, the Galilean satellite Callisto is partially occulted by Jupiter. Browse www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/interactive-sky-watching-tools/ in order to determine transit times of Jupiter’s central meridian by the Great Red Spot. GRS transit times are also available on pages 50 and 51 of the June 2022 issue of Sky & Telescope. Data on Galilean satellite events is available on page 51 of the June 2022 issue of Sky & Telescope and online at www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/interactive-sky-watching-tools/ and www.shallowsky.com/jupiter/
This month Saturn increases in brightness from magnitude +0.8 to magnitude +0.6 and in apparent size from 17.4 arc seconds to 18.2 arc seconds. The Ringed Planet rises shortly after midnight local daylight time by the middle of the month. Saturn reaches its first stationary point on June 5th and begins a 20-week-long retrograde loop. Its rings are inclined by 12 degrees, the narrowest angle of the year. The waning gibbous Moon passes four degrees south of Saturn on June 18th. For information on Saturn’s satellites, browse www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/interactive-sky-watching-tools/
Uranus enters the morning sky this month. Its solar elongation increases from 25 to 50 degrees during June. Venus passes less than two degrees south of Uranus on June 11th. Uranus is occulted by the waning crescent Moon on June 24th. A finder chart is available at www.nakedeyeplanets.com/uranus.htm#finderchart
Neptune reaches its first stationary point on June 28th and afterwards begins retrograde motion. The ice giant planet lies roughly halfway between the fourth-magnitude star Phi Aquarii and Jupiter. The waning gibbous Moon passes four degrees south of Neptune on June 20th. See www.nakedeyeplanets.com/neptune.htm#finderchart for a finder chart.
With sufficient aperture, the dwarf planet Pluto is a potential target from a dark site this month. A finder chart can be found at page 239 of the RASC Observer’s Handbook 2022.
Comet C/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS) travels southwestward through Ophiuchus this month. The eighth-magnitude comet passes 1.5 degrees north of the planetary nebula NGC 6572 (the Emerald Nebula) on June 7th and 0.5 degrees south of the bright open cluster IC 4665 on June 20th. A finder chart can be found on page 50 of the June 2022 issue of Sky & Telescope. Visit cometchasing.skyhound.com/ and www.aerith.net/comet/future-n.html and cobs.si/ for information on comets visible this month.
A list of the closest approaches of comets to the Earth is posted at www.cometography.com/nearcomet.html
During June, the large asteroid 10 Hygiea shines at tenth magnitude as it completes a compact retrograde arc in southeastern Virgo. Asteroid 88 Thisbe lies two degrees to the west and asteroid 13 Egeria approximately four degrees to the southeast, both asteroids shining at eleventh magnitude. Asteroids brighter than magnitude +11.0 that reach opposition this month include 416 Vaticana (magnitude +10.1) on June 4th, 29 Amphitrite (magnitude +9.8) on June 6th, 41 Daphne (magnitude +10.1) on June 7th, 70 Panopaea (magnitude +10.8) on June 23rd, and 387 Aquitania (magnitude +10.1) on June 25th. Information on some of the brighter asteroids and on asteroid occultations taking place this month is available at curtrenz.com/asteroids.html and at www.asteroidoccultation.com/2022_06_si.htm respectively.
For more on the planets and how to locate them, browse www.nakedeyeplanets.com/
Summaries on the planets for June can be found at skynews.ca/planets-at-a-glance-june-2022/ and astronomy.com/magazine/sky-this-month/2022/06/sky-this-month-june-2022
The graphic at www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/planets/distance displays the apparent and comparative sizes of the planets, along with their magnitudes and distances, for a given date and time.
The rise and set times and locations of the planets can be determined by clicking on www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/night/
A wealth of current information on solar system celestial bodies is posted at www.curtrenz.com/astronomy.html and nineplanets.org/
Information on the celestial events transpiring each week can be found at stardate.org/nightsky and astronomy.com/skythisweek and www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/sky-at-a-glance/
Free star maps for June can be downloaded at www.skymaps.com/downloads.html and www.telescope.com/content.jsp?pageName=Monthly-Star-Chart and www.kenpress.com/index.html
Data on current supernovae can be found at www.rochesterastronomy.org/snimages/
Finder charts for the Messier objects and other deep-sky objects are posted at freestarcharts.com/messier and freestarcharts.com/ngc-ic and www.cambridge.org/features/turnleft/seasonal_skies_april-june.htm
Telrad finder charts for the Messier Catalog are posted at www.custerobservatory.org/docs/messier2.pdf and www.star-shine.ch/astro/messiercharts/messierTelrad.htm
Telrad finder charts for the SAC’s 110 Best of the NGC are available at sao64.free.fr/observations/catalogues/cataloguesac.pdf
Information pertaining to observing some of the more prominent Messier galaxies can be found at www.cloudynights.com/topic/358295-how-to-locate-some-of-the-major-messier-galaxies-and-helpful-advice-for-novice-amateur-astronomers/
Author Phil Harrington offers an excellent freeware planetarium program for binocular observers known as TUBA (Touring the Universe through Binoculars Atlas), which also includes information on purchasing binoculars, at www.philharrington.net/tuba.htm
Stellarium and Cartes du Ciel are two excellent freeware planetarium programs that are available at stellarium.org/ and www.ap-i.net/skychart/en/start
Deep-sky object list generators can be found at www.virtualcolony.com/sac/ and telescopius.com/ and tonightssky.com/MainPage.php
Freeware sky atlases can be downloaded at www.deepskywatch.com/files/deepsky-atlas/Deep-Sky-Hunter-atlas-full.pdf and www.cloudynights.com/articles/cat/articles/observing-skills/free-mag-7-star-charts-r1021 and allans-stuff.com/triatlas/
Forty binary and multiple stars for June: Struve 1812, Kappa Bootis, Otto Struve 279, Iota Bootis, Struve 1825, Struve 1835, Pi Bootis, Epsilon Bootis, Struve 1889, 39 Bootis, Xi Bootis, Struve 1910, Delta Bootis, Mu Bootis (Bootes); Struve 1803 (Canes Venatici); Struve 1932, Struve 1964, Zeta Coronae Borealis, Struve 1973, Otto Struve 302 (Corona Borealis); Struve 1927, Struve 1984, Struve 2054, Eta Draconis, 17-16 Draconis, 17 Draconis (Draco); 54 Hydrae (Hydra); Struve 1919, 5 Serpentis, 6 Serpentis, Struve 1950, Delta Serpentis, Otto Struve 300, Beta Serpentis, Struve 1985 (Serpens Caput); Struve 1831 (Ursa Major); Pi-1 Ursae Minoris (Ursa Minor); Struve 1802, Struve 1833, Phi Virginis (Virgo)
Notable carbon star for June: V Coronae Borealis
Fifty deep-sky objects for June: NGC 5466, NGC 5676, NGC 5689 (Bootes); M102 (NGC 5866), NGC 5678, NGC 5879, NGC 5905, NGC 5907, NGC 5908, NGC 5949, NGC 5963, NGC 5965, NGC 5982, NGC 5985, NGC 6015 (Draco); NGC 5694 (Hydra); NGC 5728, NGC 5791, NGC 5796, NGC 5812, NGC 5861, NGC 5878, NGC 5897 (Libra); M5, NGC 5921, NGC 5957, NGC 5962, NGC 5970, NGC 5984 (Serpens Caput); M101, NGC 5473, NGC 5474, NGC 5485, NGC 5585, NGC 5631 (Ursa Major); NGC 5566, NGC 5634, NGC 5701, NGC 5713, NGC 5746, NGC 5750, NGC 5775, NGC 5806, NGC 5813, NGC 5831, NGC 5838, NGC 5846, NGC 5850, NGC 5854, NGC 5864 (Virgo)
Top ten deep-sky objects for June: M5, M101, M102, NGC 5566, NGC 5585, NGC 5689, NGC 5746, NGC 5813, NGC 5838, NGC 5907
Top five deep-sky binocular objects for June: M5, M101, M102, NGC 5466, NGC 5907
Challenge deep-sky object for June: Abell 2065
The objects listed above are located between 14:00 and 16:00 hours of right ascension.
All times, unless otherwise noted, are UT (subtract four hours and, when appropriate, one calendar day for EDT)
6/1 The Moon is 0.1 degrees north of the dwarf planet/asteroid 1 Ceres, with an occultation taking place in extreme northeastern South America, the Caribbean, most of Mexico, far southern Canada, the continental United States, Hawaii, and northern Polynesia at 21:00
6/2 The Moon is at apogee, subtending 29' 25" from a distance of 406,191 kilometers (252,396 miles), at 1:13
6/3 Mercury is stationary at 0:00
6/5 Saturn is stationary, with retrograde (western) motion to begin, at 14:00
6/6 Venus is at its greatest heliocentric latitude south today; asteroid 29 Amphitrite is at opposition today; the Purbach Cross or Lunar X, an X-shaped clair-obscur illumination effect involving various rims and ridges between the craters La Caille, Blanchinus, and Purbach, is predicted to be visible at 21:10
6/7 First Quarter Moon occurs at 14:48
6/11 Venus is 1.6 degrees south of Uranus at 13:00
6/14 The earliest sunrise of the year at latitude 40 degrees north occurs today; Full Moon, known as the Rose, Flower, or Strawberry Moon, occurs at 11:52; the Moon is at perigee, subtending 33' 26" from a distance of 357,436 kilometers (222,098 miles), at 23:23
6/16 Mercury is at greatest western elongation (23 degrees) at 15:00
6/17 Mercury is at its greatest heliocentric latitude south today
6/18 The Moon is 4 degrees south of Saturn at 12:00
6/19 The Moon is 0.7 degrees south of asteroid 4 Vesta, with an occultation taking place in southwestern Africa, the Falkland Islands, the tip of South America, and most of Antarctica, at 8:00
6/20 The Moon is 4 degrees south of Neptune at 17:00
6/21 The Last Quarter Moon occurs at 3:11; the northern hemisphere summer solstice occurs at 9:14; Mars is at perihelion at 13:00; the Moon is 3 degrees south of Jupiter at 14:00
6/22 Mercury is at dichotomy (50% illuminated) today; the Curtiss Cross, an X-shaped clair-obscur illumination effect located between the craters Parry and Gambart, is predicted to be visible at 20:53; the Moon is 0.9 degrees south of Mars, with an occultation taking place in southeastern Polynesia, Marie Byrd Land, Oates Land, and George V Land, at 18:00
6/24 The Moon is 0.05 degrees south of Uranus, with an occultation taking place in Hawaii, Micronesia, northwestern Melanesia, eastern Indonesia, and northern and western Australia, at 22:00
6/26 The Moon is 3 degrees north of Venus at 8:00
6/27 The latest sunset of the year at latitude 40 degrees north occurs today; the Moon is 4 degrees north of Mercury at 8:00
6/28 Neptune is stationary, with retrograde (westward) motion to begin, at 23:00
6/29 New Moon (lunation 1231) occurs at 2:52; the Moon is at apogee, subtending 29' 23" from a distance of 406,579 kilometers (252,637 miles), at 6:08
Giovanni Cassini (1625-1712), John Dollond (1706-1761), Charles Messier (1730-1817), William Lassell (1799-1880), George Ellery Hale (1868-1938), and Carolyn Shoemaker (1929) were born this month.
The British astronomer Edmund Halley discovered M13 on June 1, 1714. The French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille discovered the globular cluster M55 on June 16, 1752. A transit of the Sun by Venus was observed by Austrian, British, and French astronomers from various parts of the world on June 6, 1761. The French astronomer Charles Messier discovered the globular cluster M14 on June 1st, 1764, the emission and reflection nebula M20 (the Trifid Nebula) on June 5, 1764, and the open cluster M23 on June 20, 1764. The globular cluster M62 was discovered by Charles Messier on June 7, 1771. The French astronomer Pierre Méchain discovered his first deep-sky object, the spiral galaxy M63 (the Sunflower Galaxy), on June 14, 1779. The German/English astronomer William Herschel discovered the globular cluster NGC 6288 on June 24, 1784. Neptune was independently discovered by the British astronomer John Couch Adams on June 5, 1846. The Italian astronomer Giovanni Battista Donati discovered Comet C/1858 L1 (Donati), the first comet to be photographed, on June 2, 1858. A large storm on Saturn was observed by the American astronomer E. E. Barnard. The Tunguska event occurred on June 30, 1908. The largest known solar flare was recorded on June 27, 1984. The Georgian astronomer Givi Kimeridze discovered a Type Ia supernova in the spiral galaxy M58 on June 28, 1989. Namaka, a satellite of the dwarf planet Haumea, was discovered on June 30, 2005. Kerberos, Pluto’s fourth satellite, was discovered by the Hubble Space Telescope team on June 28, 2011.
Information on passes of the ISS, the USAF’s X-37B, the HST, Starlink, and other satellites can be found at www.heavens-above.com/
The Moon is 1.3 days old, is illuminated 1.5%, subtends 29.7 arc minutes, and is located in Taurus on June 1st at 0:00 UT. The Moon is at its greatest northern declination of +27.0 degrees on June 2nd and +26.9 degrees on June 29th and at its greatest southern declination of -26.7 degrees on June 15th. Longitudinal libration is at a maximum of +7.7 degrees on June 21st and a minimum of -7.5 degrees on June 9th. Latitudinal libration is at a maximum of +6.7 degrees on June 18th and a minimum of -6.8 degrees on June 6th. Favorable librations for the following craters occur on the indicated dates: Galvani on June 14th, Sylvester on June 15th, and Peterman on June 16th. The Moon is at apogee on June 2nd and June 29th and at perigee on June 23rd. Large tides will occur following the Full Moon on June 14th. New Moon occurs on June 29th. The Moon passes close to the bright open cluster M35 in Gemini at 11:00 UT on June 1st, the first-magnitude star Castor (Alpha Geminorum) at 1:00 UT on June 3rd, the first-magnitude star Pollux (Beta Geminorum) at 6:00 UT on June 3rd, the bright open cluster M44 (the Beehive Cluster or Praesepe) in Cancer at 11:00 UT on June 4th, the first-magnitude star Regulus (Alpha Leonis) at 8:00 UT on June 6th, the first-magnitude star Spica (Alpha Virginis) at 12:00 UT on June 10th, the first-magnitude star Antares (Alpha Scorpii) at 16:00 UT on June 13th, the bright open cluster M45 (the Pleiades or Subaru) in Taurus at 1:00 UT on June 26th, and the first-magnitude star Aldebaran (Alpha Tauri) at 19:00 on June 26th. The Moon occults the third-magnitude star Eta Leonis on the night of June 5th for observers in the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America and second-magnitude star Dschubba (Delta Scorpii) on the morning of June 12th for observers in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada. From certain parts of the world, the Moon occults 1 Ceres on June 1st, 4 Vesta on June 19th, Mars on June 22nd, and Uranus on June 25th. In 2022, 14 lunar occultations will take place, while only 4 occurred last year. The trend in lunar occultations is increasing, with 19 expected in 2023, 54 expected in 2024, 41 expected in 2025, 46 in 2026, and 22 in 2027. Browse www.lunar-occultations.com/iota/iotandx.htm for information on lunar occultation events. Visit saberdoesthestars.wordpress.com/2011/07/05/saber-does-the-stars/ for tips on spotting extreme crescent Moons and curtrenz.com/moon.html for Full Moon and other lunar data. Go to skyandtelescope.org/wp-content/uploads/MoonMap.pdf and celestron-site-support-files.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/support_files/Explore%20the%20Moon%20Map%2024%20x%2033%20RReeves-web.pdf and nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/docs/ObserveMoon.pdf for simple lunar maps. Click on astrostrona.pl/moon-map/ for an excellent online lunar map. Visit www.ap-i.net/avl/en/start to download the free Virtual Moon Atlas. Consult time.unitarium.com/moon/where.html for current information on the Moon and www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/lunarform/lunarform.html for information on various lunar features. See svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4955 a lunar phase and libration calculator and quickmap.lroc.asu.edu/?extent=-90,-25.2362636,90,25.2362636&proj=10&layers=NrBsFYBoAZIRnpEoAsjYIHYFcA2vIBvAXwF1SizSg for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) Quickmap. Click on www.calendar-12.com/moon_calendar/2022/june for a lunar phase calendar for this month. Times and dates for the lunar crater light rays predicted to occur this month are available at www.lunar-occultations.com/rlo/rays/rays.htm
The Sun is located in Taurus on June 1st. It enters Gemini on June 21st. The Sun reaches its farthest position north for the year on June 21st. There are 15 hours and one minute of daylight at latitude 40 degrees north on that day. At latitude 40 degrees north, the earliest sunrise occurs on June 14th and the latest sunset on June 27th. For an explanation of why this occurs, click on earthsky.org/tonight/earliest-sunrises-before-june-solstice-jupiter-venus/
Brightness, apparent size, illumination, distance from the Earth in astronomical units, and location data for the planets and Pluto on June 1st: Mercury (+2.9, 11.3", 8% illuminated, 0.59 a.u., Taurus), Venus (-3.9, 13.7", 78% illuminated, 1.22 a.u., Aries), Mars (magnitude +0.7, 6.4", 87% illuminated, 1.46 a.u., Pisces), Jupiter (magnitude -2.3, 37.3", 99% illuminated, 5.28 a.u., Pisces), Saturn (magnitude +0.8, 17.4", 100% illuminated, 9.57 a.u., Capricornus), Uranus on June 16th (magnitude +5.8, 3.4", 100% illuminated, 20.49 a.u., Aries), Neptune on June 16th (magnitude +7.9, 2.3", 100% illuminated, 29.91 a.u., Pisces), and Pluto on June 16th (magnitude +14.3, 0.1", 100% illuminated, 33.69 a.u., Sagittarius).
Saturn can be found in the east at midnight. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus are located in the east, Neptune in the southeast, and Saturn in the south in the morning sky.
When Mercury enters the morning sky, the five classical planets will be distributed from east to west in order of their distance from the Sun and will be visible to the unaided eye. On June 4th, Mercury and Venus are separated by 18 degrees, Venus and Mars by 30 degrees, Mars and Jupiter by 4 degrees, and Jupiter and Saturn by 39 degrees. The waning crescent Moon enters the picture on June 23rd and June 24th. The Moon and Uranus lie between Venus and Mars and Neptune and asteroid 4 Vesta (magnitude +7.1) between Jupiter and Saturn on June 24th. Pluto is situated to the southwest of Saturn. The seven planets span approximately 107 degrees on that morning. An article on this rare planetary alignment can be seen on pages 48 and 49 of the June 2022 issue of Sky & Telescope.
Mercury is stationary on June 3rd. The speediest planet is too dim to be easily seen until around June 7th. The span from Mercury and Saturn is 91 degrees that morning and will increase as June progresses. Mercury lies eight degrees south of M45 on the morning of June 13th and shines at magnitude +0.5 when it reaches greatest western elongation on June 16th. Venus and M45 form an equilateral triangle with Mercury on that date. The following day Mercury is at its southernmost latitude from the ecliptic plane. The waning crescent Moon passes four degrees north of Mercury on June 27th.
Venus shines brilliantly at magnitude -3.9 as it continues to head sunward. Its elongation from the Sun decreases from 37 to 30 degrees during June. Venus increases in illumination from 78 to 86% as it shrinks in apparent size from 13.7 to 11.9 arc seconds. On June 6th, Venus is at its southernmost latitude from the ecliptic plane. The brightest planet lies less than two degrees south of Uranus on June 11th. The waning crescent Moon passes directly between M45 and Melotte 25 (the Hyades) and slightly less than three degrees north of Venus on June 26th, the closest observable conjunction of the Moon and Venus this year.
Mars increases in brightness from +0.7 to +0.5 magnitude and from 6.4 to 7.2 arc seconds in apparent size this month. Mars reaches perihelion on June 21st. The waning crescent Moon passes less than a degree south of the Red Planet on June 22nd. The first of three lunar occultations of Mars occurring in 2022 takes place on that date.
Jupiter rises shortly before 1:00 a.m. local time as June draws to an end. The gas giant planet brightens slightly from magnitude -2.3 to magnitude -2.4 and grows in apparent size from 37.3 to 40.7 arc seconds. The Last Quarter Moon passes three degrees south of Jupiter on June 21st. Jupiter’s eastward motion carries it from Pisces to Cetus late in the month. On the morning of June 5th, the Galilean satellite Callisto is partially occulted by Jupiter. Browse www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/interactive-sky-watching-tools/ in order to determine transit times of Jupiter’s central meridian by the Great Red Spot. GRS transit times are also available on pages 50 and 51 of the June 2022 issue of Sky & Telescope. Data on Galilean satellite events is available on page 51 of the June 2022 issue of Sky & Telescope and online at www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/interactive-sky-watching-tools/ and www.shallowsky.com/jupiter/
This month Saturn increases in brightness from magnitude +0.8 to magnitude +0.6 and in apparent size from 17.4 arc seconds to 18.2 arc seconds. The Ringed Planet rises shortly after midnight local daylight time by the middle of the month. Saturn reaches its first stationary point on June 5th and begins a 20-week-long retrograde loop. Its rings are inclined by 12 degrees, the narrowest angle of the year. The waning gibbous Moon passes four degrees south of Saturn on June 18th. For information on Saturn’s satellites, browse www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/interactive-sky-watching-tools/
Uranus enters the morning sky this month. Its solar elongation increases from 25 to 50 degrees during June. Venus passes less than two degrees south of Uranus on June 11th. Uranus is occulted by the waning crescent Moon on June 24th. A finder chart is available at www.nakedeyeplanets.com/uranus.htm#finderchart
Neptune reaches its first stationary point on June 28th and afterwards begins retrograde motion. The ice giant planet lies roughly halfway between the fourth-magnitude star Phi Aquarii and Jupiter. The waning gibbous Moon passes four degrees south of Neptune on June 20th. See www.nakedeyeplanets.com/neptune.htm#finderchart for a finder chart.
With sufficient aperture, the dwarf planet Pluto is a potential target from a dark site this month. A finder chart can be found at page 239 of the RASC Observer’s Handbook 2022.
Comet C/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS) travels southwestward through Ophiuchus this month. The eighth-magnitude comet passes 1.5 degrees north of the planetary nebula NGC 6572 (the Emerald Nebula) on June 7th and 0.5 degrees south of the bright open cluster IC 4665 on June 20th. A finder chart can be found on page 50 of the June 2022 issue of Sky & Telescope. Visit cometchasing.skyhound.com/ and www.aerith.net/comet/future-n.html and cobs.si/ for information on comets visible this month.
A list of the closest approaches of comets to the Earth is posted at www.cometography.com/nearcomet.html
During June, the large asteroid 10 Hygiea shines at tenth magnitude as it completes a compact retrograde arc in southeastern Virgo. Asteroid 88 Thisbe lies two degrees to the west and asteroid 13 Egeria approximately four degrees to the southeast, both asteroids shining at eleventh magnitude. Asteroids brighter than magnitude +11.0 that reach opposition this month include 416 Vaticana (magnitude +10.1) on June 4th, 29 Amphitrite (magnitude +9.8) on June 6th, 41 Daphne (magnitude +10.1) on June 7th, 70 Panopaea (magnitude +10.8) on June 23rd, and 387 Aquitania (magnitude +10.1) on June 25th. Information on some of the brighter asteroids and on asteroid occultations taking place this month is available at curtrenz.com/asteroids.html and at www.asteroidoccultation.com/2022_06_si.htm respectively.
For more on the planets and how to locate them, browse www.nakedeyeplanets.com/
Summaries on the planets for June can be found at skynews.ca/planets-at-a-glance-june-2022/ and astronomy.com/magazine/sky-this-month/2022/06/sky-this-month-june-2022
The graphic at www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/planets/distance displays the apparent and comparative sizes of the planets, along with their magnitudes and distances, for a given date and time.
The rise and set times and locations of the planets can be determined by clicking on www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/night/
A wealth of current information on solar system celestial bodies is posted at www.curtrenz.com/astronomy.html and nineplanets.org/
Information on the celestial events transpiring each week can be found at stardate.org/nightsky and astronomy.com/skythisweek and www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/sky-at-a-glance/
Free star maps for June can be downloaded at www.skymaps.com/downloads.html and www.telescope.com/content.jsp?pageName=Monthly-Star-Chart and www.kenpress.com/index.html
Data on current supernovae can be found at www.rochesterastronomy.org/snimages/
Finder charts for the Messier objects and other deep-sky objects are posted at freestarcharts.com/messier and freestarcharts.com/ngc-ic and www.cambridge.org/features/turnleft/seasonal_skies_april-june.htm
Telrad finder charts for the Messier Catalog are posted at www.custerobservatory.org/docs/messier2.pdf and www.star-shine.ch/astro/messiercharts/messierTelrad.htm
Telrad finder charts for the SAC’s 110 Best of the NGC are available at sao64.free.fr/observations/catalogues/cataloguesac.pdf
Information pertaining to observing some of the more prominent Messier galaxies can be found at www.cloudynights.com/topic/358295-how-to-locate-some-of-the-major-messier-galaxies-and-helpful-advice-for-novice-amateur-astronomers/
Author Phil Harrington offers an excellent freeware planetarium program for binocular observers known as TUBA (Touring the Universe through Binoculars Atlas), which also includes information on purchasing binoculars, at www.philharrington.net/tuba.htm
Stellarium and Cartes du Ciel are two excellent freeware planetarium programs that are available at stellarium.org/ and www.ap-i.net/skychart/en/start
Deep-sky object list generators can be found at www.virtualcolony.com/sac/ and telescopius.com/ and tonightssky.com/MainPage.php
Freeware sky atlases can be downloaded at www.deepskywatch.com/files/deepsky-atlas/Deep-Sky-Hunter-atlas-full.pdf and www.cloudynights.com/articles/cat/articles/observing-skills/free-mag-7-star-charts-r1021 and allans-stuff.com/triatlas/
Forty binary and multiple stars for June: Struve 1812, Kappa Bootis, Otto Struve 279, Iota Bootis, Struve 1825, Struve 1835, Pi Bootis, Epsilon Bootis, Struve 1889, 39 Bootis, Xi Bootis, Struve 1910, Delta Bootis, Mu Bootis (Bootes); Struve 1803 (Canes Venatici); Struve 1932, Struve 1964, Zeta Coronae Borealis, Struve 1973, Otto Struve 302 (Corona Borealis); Struve 1927, Struve 1984, Struve 2054, Eta Draconis, 17-16 Draconis, 17 Draconis (Draco); 54 Hydrae (Hydra); Struve 1919, 5 Serpentis, 6 Serpentis, Struve 1950, Delta Serpentis, Otto Struve 300, Beta Serpentis, Struve 1985 (Serpens Caput); Struve 1831 (Ursa Major); Pi-1 Ursae Minoris (Ursa Minor); Struve 1802, Struve 1833, Phi Virginis (Virgo)
Notable carbon star for June: V Coronae Borealis
Fifty deep-sky objects for June: NGC 5466, NGC 5676, NGC 5689 (Bootes); M102 (NGC 5866), NGC 5678, NGC 5879, NGC 5905, NGC 5907, NGC 5908, NGC 5949, NGC 5963, NGC 5965, NGC 5982, NGC 5985, NGC 6015 (Draco); NGC 5694 (Hydra); NGC 5728, NGC 5791, NGC 5796, NGC 5812, NGC 5861, NGC 5878, NGC 5897 (Libra); M5, NGC 5921, NGC 5957, NGC 5962, NGC 5970, NGC 5984 (Serpens Caput); M101, NGC 5473, NGC 5474, NGC 5485, NGC 5585, NGC 5631 (Ursa Major); NGC 5566, NGC 5634, NGC 5701, NGC 5713, NGC 5746, NGC 5750, NGC 5775, NGC 5806, NGC 5813, NGC 5831, NGC 5838, NGC 5846, NGC 5850, NGC 5854, NGC 5864 (Virgo)
Top ten deep-sky objects for June: M5, M101, M102, NGC 5566, NGC 5585, NGC 5689, NGC 5746, NGC 5813, NGC 5838, NGC 5907
Top five deep-sky binocular objects for June: M5, M101, M102, NGC 5466, NGC 5907
Challenge deep-sky object for June: Abell 2065
The objects listed above are located between 14:00 and 16:00 hours of right ascension.