Three bright planets stairstep up the evening sky for most of the month. Venus, the Evening Star, is the brightest, followed by Jupiter, then Mercury (see Featured Event). Scorpius arcs low across the south during the night, while the Summer Triangle—the bright stars Vega, Deneb, and Altair—is in the east at nightfall and soars high overhead in the wee hours. The Big Dipper is high in the north at nightfall early in the month, but a little lower in the northwest by June’s end.
The full Moon of June is known as the Flower Moon, Strawberry Moon, Rose Moon, or Honey Moon.
Perigee June 14
Apogee June 28
Moon phases are Central Time.
For skywatchers in the eastern United States, the Moon will pass directly between Earth and Regulus tonight, blocking the bright star from view. For the rest of the country, the Moon will just miss the star, providing an amazingly close encounter between them.
The Moon is full today at 4:09 p.m. CST as it lines up opposite the Sun in our sky. The full Moon of February is known as the Wolf Moon, Snow Moon, or Hunger Moon.
At nightfall, the twin stars of Gemini, Pollux and Castor, line up to the upper left of the Moon. The brilliant planet Jupiter is farther to the upper right of the Moon. Procyon, the Little Dog Star, is farther to the Moon’s right.
The twins of Gemini appear near the Moon tonight. Castor, the fainter twin, is to the left of the Moon at nightfall, with brighter Pollux to the lower left. The planet Jupiter is passing through Gemini, and looks like an especially brilliant star.
The Northern Cross is low in the northwest at nightfall. A star system near its center is home to the hottest planet yet discovered. Dayside temperatures on KELT-9b soar to 8,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which is hotter than most stars.
The gibbous Moon is passing through the constellation Taurus tonight. Aldebaran, the bull’s eye, is well to the right of the Moon at nightfall. Elnath, at the tip of one of the bull’s horns, is closer to the lower left of the Moon.
The Big Dipper wheels around the North Star like the hour-hand of a giant clock, ticking off the hours of the night. Winter is an especially good time to watch it, because it’s in good view pretty much all night.
As befits his status as a hero, Perseus strides boldly across the sky tonight. He is high overhead at nightfall, crowning the sky with a couple of streamers of moderately bright stars.
The Moon reaches first-quarter at 10:47 p.m. CST. It lines up at a right angle to the line from Earth to the Sun, so sunlight illuminates half of the lunar hemisphere that faces our way.
A “bubble” that represents the dying breath of a Sun-like star is on the edge of Gemini, which is well up in the east at nightfall. Known as the Medusa Nebula, the bubble is about 1,500 light-years away, and it spans more than four light-years.
