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.
Leo, the celestial lion, is in the west as darkness falls. It is dropping toward the horizon head first, like a lion pouncing on its prey. Its brightest star, Regulus, is quite low in the sky, so any obstructions on the horizon will block it from view.
The Moon is full tonight as it aligns opposite the Sun in our sky. Because this time of year can bring stormy weather, it’s known as the Thunder Moon.
The sky looks different every night. Stars and planets move from night to night, with each night presenting a new canvas to admire. Yet one modestly bright star remains the same. The pole star, Polaris, always stands due north, anchoring the night sky.
The Moon has a beautiful companion tonight: the planet Saturn. It lurks quite close to the lower right of the Moon at nightfall, and looks like a bright golden star. It stays close to the Moon all night.
Antares, the scorpion’s bright orange heart, stands close to the lower right of the Moon at nightfall. The brighter planet Saturn is a little farther to the lower left of the Moon.
Aquila, the eagle, is in the eastern sky on summer evenings. As night falls, it stands to the lower right of Cygnus, the swan, another celestial bird that soars through the summer Milky Way.
Earth is farthest from the Sun today for the entire year, a point in our planet’s orbit known as aphelion. We’re about 1.5 percent farther than the average distance of 93 million miles.
The Big Dipper is visible every night of the year, circling the North Star, Polaris. To the Aztecs, the dipper personified the god Tezcatlipoca, “He Who Can Enter All Places.” He reigned over the cardinal directions as well as the night.
The Moon is in the southwest as night falls this evening, with two bright companions. The star Spica stands below the Moon, with the brilliant planet Jupiter a little farther to the right or lower right of the Moon.
The Moon has a big companion tonight, the planet Jupiter. It looks like a brilliant star quite close to the left of the Moon. Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system — about 11 times the diameter of Earth.
