Title: June Skywatch Highlights
Location: Hawaiian Islands
Date / Time: June 2007
Comments: What a great month for observing the planets! Mercury & Venus appear high in the Western evening sky at the beginning of the month, Jupiter lights the sky nearly all night, & Saturn puts on its last display before slipping into twilight. MERCURY continues to gain altitude above the horizon through June 2, when it reaches eastern elongation (its greatest angular distance from the Sun). It remains visible through the first week of June, in the constellation Gemini, outshining both Castor & Pollux, Gemini's two brightest stars. VENUS, high above Mercury, moves from Gemini through Cancer & toward Leo, shining brightly until almost 10PM throughout the month. On June 17th, a thin crescent Moon will appear just to the west (right) of Venus. On the June 18th, look for the Moon nestled between Venus & Saturn. Watch Venus & Saturn move closer together during June, & on the 30th, meet in Leo, just 41' apart! SATURN appears in the gap between Venus & Regulus, Leo's brightest star, & by the end of the month appears just 7 degrees from the "heart" of the Lion. JUPITER rises as the sun sets early in June, northeast of Antares, the red supergiant star which is the "heart" of Scorpius, the Scorpion. Using Jupiter to locate Antares, look for the "J" or "fishhook" shape of the GIANT scorpion (aka: Ka Makau Nui o Maui: the giant fishhook of Maui). MARS appears in the morning sky, rising around 2:30 A.M. in early June & by 1:45 A.M. at months end. Mars continues to brighten as Earth starts to catch up with Mars' slower orbit. It's bright, ruddy glow makes Mars easy to spot in Pisces, with no bright starts around it. For further details and a June sky map, visit Bishop Museum Planetarium www.bishopmuseum.org/planetarium (bishopmuseum.org).

Maintained by Roz Reiner - Kauai, Hawaii

 

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