06/05/10
The night sky in June
Leading astronomer Dave Reneke looks at the highlights for sky-watchers in the month of June
Now, June nights are pretty cool, so you’re going to need a blanket, a pillow or two, your binoculars and perhaps a warm glass of Milo or a fine red to keep warm while you stargaze. On a clear night depending on your age and your eyesight, you can see anywhere up to about 1,500 to 2, 000 stars. Introduce city lights and pollution, and you see less and less.
Start by looking west about an hour after sunset. See that very bright star just above the horizon? That’s Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. Thousands of years ago, ancient Egyptians used it to work out the length of our year. Setting early close by is Venus. The brilliant glow from it is stunning and remember, it’s a planet, not a star.
Lying near the centre of the Milky Way and rising in the east is really the only zodiac constellation that really looks like its namesake, the giant constellation of Scorpius or the ‘Scorpion.’ It looks more like an upside down fish-hook in the sky. Now, look for the red heart of the Scorpion, the star known as Antares. It’s a red giant star hundreds of times bigger than our Sun!
Scorpius is a fabulous part of the sky to scan with a pair of binoculars. You’ll need to keep them nice and still, and the best way I think is to lie down and put a pillow on your chest and rest your arms on that and scan the sky. As Scorpius is rising in the east, Orion (the Saucepan) is just disappearing in the western sky.
In June, the Southern Cross is placed very nicely, high in the southern sky and contains
‘The Jewel Box’ beside it. It’s a magnificent cluster of young stars. Look for it with your binoculars or small scope.
Now, get ready for a pretty neat sight. There’s going to be a partial lunar eclipse on Saturday 26 June for most of eastern Australia. This should darken part of the Moon’s surface from about 9.30pm and yep, you can look directly at it. It won’t hurt your eyes.
Mercury can be seen to good advantage in the eastern dawn sky for the first two weeks of June. Venus blazing brilliantly in the early western sky pairs up with the 3 day old crescent Moon on the 15th – a nice sight! Mars can still be seen in the Northern evening sky. It looks like a ‘reddish’ star and still looks good in a telescope. Jupiter rises in the eastern sky just after midnight and is one of the best telescopic objects for any amateur.
If you have an opportunity, make your way to an observatory or borrow a friend’s telescope to look at the planet Saturn high in the north. You should be able to see those magnificent rings just opening up.
David Reneke has over 40 years experience in astronomy. He’s a feature writer for major Australian publications including Australasian Science magazine and a science correspondent for ABC and commercial radio. Get David’s free astronomy newsletter at www.davidreneke.com
Start by looking west about an hour after sunset. See that very bright star just above the horizon? That’s Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. Thousands of years ago, ancient Egyptians used it to work out the length of our year. Setting early close by is Venus. The brilliant glow from it is stunning and remember, it’s a planet, not a star.
Lying near the centre of the Milky Way and rising in the east is really the only zodiac constellation that really looks like its namesake, the giant constellation of Scorpius or the ‘Scorpion.’ It looks more like an upside down fish-hook in the sky. Now, look for the red heart of the Scorpion, the star known as Antares. It’s a red giant star hundreds of times bigger than our Sun!
Scorpius is a fabulous part of the sky to scan with a pair of binoculars. You’ll need to keep them nice and still, and the best way I think is to lie down and put a pillow on your chest and rest your arms on that and scan the sky. As Scorpius is rising in the east, Orion (the Saucepan) is just disappearing in the western sky.
In June, the Southern Cross is placed very nicely, high in the southern sky and contains
‘The Jewel Box’ beside it. It’s a magnificent cluster of young stars. Look for it with your binoculars or small scope.
Now, get ready for a pretty neat sight. There’s going to be a partial lunar eclipse on Saturday 26 June for most of eastern Australia. This should darken part of the Moon’s surface from about 9.30pm and yep, you can look directly at it. It won’t hurt your eyes.
Mercury can be seen to good advantage in the eastern dawn sky for the first two weeks of June. Venus blazing brilliantly in the early western sky pairs up with the 3 day old crescent Moon on the 15th – a nice sight! Mars can still be seen in the Northern evening sky. It looks like a ‘reddish’ star and still looks good in a telescope. Jupiter rises in the eastern sky just after midnight and is one of the best telescopic objects for any amateur.
If you have an opportunity, make your way to an observatory or borrow a friend’s telescope to look at the planet Saturn high in the north. You should be able to see those magnificent rings just opening up.
David Reneke has over 40 years experience in astronomy. He’s a feature writer for major Australian publications including Australasian Science magazine and a science correspondent for ABC and commercial radio. Get David’s free astronomy newsletter at www.davidreneke.com
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