June skywatching brings Venus, Jupiter and planet parade

It’s going to be a busy month for skywatchers across the country as a number of smaller celestial events are going to be taking place. 

On June 9 west shortly after sunset to see Venus and Jupiter. They are two of the brightest planets in the sky and they’ll appear close together after sunset. This is called a planetary conjunction where two planets appear near each other from Earth’s point of view, even though they’re still millions of miles apart in space. 

From June 11 through June 15, Mercury joins the scene, creating a mini parade of planets low in the western sky. This happens because the planets orbit the sun along nearly the same path in our sky, called the ecliptic. So, from Earth’s point of view, they sometimes appear to gather in the same part of the sky. 

Venus will be the brightest and easiest to spot with Jupiter nearby. Mercury will sit lower toward the horizon, so viewers will need a clear view to the west to catch it in the glow of twilight. 

On June 17, from some locations the Moon will pass in front of Venus. This is called a lunar occultation. For viewers in the right viewing path, Venus will look like it disappears behind the Moon, then reappears later. The event will be visible from parts of the United States, Canada, Brazil and Venezuela. Outside of the exact viewing path, many skywatchers may still see a close pairing of the Moon and Venus, but this comes with an important safety note. For many viewers this will happen during the daytime. 

And once the sky gets dark, summer brings some favorite targets for telescope users and astrophotographers. First, look for the Summer Triangle, formed by the bright stars Vega, Altair, and Deneb. Inside and around this region are deep sky objects like the Dumbbell Nebula, the Ring Nebula, the North America Nebula, and the Veil Nebula. The Dumbbell Nebula, also known as Messier 27, was the first planetary nebula ever discovered. 

These objects are not bright like planets, but with telescopes or long exposure photography, they reveal glowing gas, dying stars, and stellar nurseries in our galaxy. 

June also brings the summer solstice. In the Northern Hemisphere, the June solstice marks the start of the astronomical summer. In Pacific time, it happens on Sunday, June 21st at 1:24 a.m.  

Around the solstice, the Northern Hemisphere gets its longest days and shortest nights of the year.