June won’t bring many remarkable astronomical events for observations with the naked eye, but there will be some good opportunities to appreciate planetary alignments. In addition, it is the month of the winter solstice, an important date for astronomy that will give us the shortest day and longest night of the year.
June astronomical events
One of the main stars of the month is the planet Venus, which will be in its greatest elongation during the month. This means that its distance from the Sun will be as great as possible and therefore is the best time to observe it.
Another highlight is the alignment between planets, but it will take a little planning and at least a pair of binoculars to observe it.
See below the celestial events that we will be able to see in June:
Mars and the Beehive Cluster (02/06)
At the very beginning of the month, on the night of June 2, Mars will pass through the Beehive star cluster, or Beehive Cluster. It is home to around a thousand stars and is just under 600 light years from Earth and appears in the constellation of Cancer, the Crab.
Traffic will take place from 6:15 pm, heading northwest, where you will find the reddish luminous dot. To observe the cluster in more detail, it is recommended to use at least one pair of binoculars. For astrophotographers, it will be a good opportunity to capture an interesting photo.
Also, the planet Venus will be right below Mars, almost stealing the show. There, in that same region, the two planets will begin an approach night after night, which is worth watching.
Venus at its greatest elongation (4/06)
The elongation of a planet happens when it is at the greatest distance from the Sun allowed by its orbit. This always means that we will be able to observe it better, even more so in the case of Venus, which will appear bright in the sky throughout the month.
If you want to find Venus at its best moment to observe it, you won’t have any difficulty, even if you’ve never differentiated planets from stars: it will appear at night, in the direction of sunset, and the brightest object will be shot from the sky.
Conjunction of the Moon, Mars and Venus (21/06)
As stated above, Mars and Venus are approaching and, on the 21st, they will meet the Moon. Make time at the end of the day to enjoy the heavenly view to the northeast.
The celestial bodies will meet at the beginning of the night, around 6:20 pm. They will remain close during the following nights, with the Moon gradually receding.
Winter Solstice (6/21)
Finally, on the same day as the conjunction described above, the June solstice will also occur. The event starts at 11:58 am on the 21st and marks the beginning of winter in the Southern Hemisphere, while the Northern Hemisphere celebrates the arrival of Summer.
On that date, the night will arrive earlier in our hemisphere, so we will have the shortest day of the year.
Phases of the Moon in June 2023
Check out the lunar calendar for June and find out when each phase of the Moon begins this month:
- June 4th at 00:43: Full moon
- June 10th at 4:32 pm: waning moon
- June 18th at 1:39 am: New Moon
- June 26th at 4:51 am: Crescent moon
