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June 2007

The sky map below is generated for 15th June. The planet positions are accurate for that day. The sky is generated for 51 degrees north. All times BST.

Sky map

Generated using KStars

The Moon

Planets

	Mercury is an evening star as the month opens, not setting until close to 23.00 BST, as the planet reaches greatest elongation east of 23 degrees. However, by the end of the first week of June, this will decrease rapidly as the planet heads for inferior conjunction on the 28th June. If you are to try to locate this elusive planet this month, you will need to start looking around 22.00 BST and look in the direction of where the Sun has set - west north west. A pair of binoculars will be of help in this search, as the bright summer skies may hinder naked eye observation and the binoculars will aid your search. If you manage to locate Mercury, you should be able to identify it as you should observe a crescent phase. As this month passes by, so the magnitude of Mercury will also decrease from 0.6 down to 2.9 at the date of inferior conjunction. This month Mercury passes through the stars of Gemini.
	Venus is still a brilliant object in the evening sky as soon as it gets dark enough to permit observation. At a bright magnitude of -4.3, there is no mistaking this object. This planet will be at greatest elongation on the 9th June when it will be 45 degrees east of the Sun. On this date, if you make an observation with your telescope, you should notice that the planet is at half phase. Venus is now almost in the middle of the constellation of Cancer, for which it will be above the star cluster Praesepe on the evening of the 12th June. A slender crescent two day old Moon will be below Venus on the evening of the 17th June and above it on the evening of the 18th June. As this month commences, Venus sets way after midnight BST. By the end of June it will set around 23.20 BST. Keep an eye out near the end of this month as Venus will be seen to be getting closer to Saturn.
	Mars is still a morning object, rising around 03.00 BST as this month commences. By the end of June, Mars will rise around 01.30. This planet is currently in the stars of Pisces at a magnitude of 0.7.
	Jupiter is currently lying between the stars of Scorpius and Ophiuchus. As a result of this, it will be low on the horizon for most of us. As this month opens, so Jupiter will rise soon after sunset. Jupiter will be at Opposition on the 5th June and at a magnitude of -2.6, will be the second brightest star like object in the sky. Due to its low altitude on our skies this year, this planet is only with us for a few months. The Full Moon will be very low on the horizon, below Jupiter on the 1st June. Again on the 28th June, the almost Full Moon will be below Jupiter.
	Saturn sets around 01.00 BST as the months opens. This falls back as the days pass, so that by the end of June it will set around 23.00 BST. Still situated at the west end of Leo, take what opportunity you have to make your observations. As next month, it will be gone from our skies for observation as an evening object. The young crescent Moon will be in the vicinity of Saturn on the evenings of the 18th and 19th June.
	Uranus (magnitude 6, in Aquarius) is well up in the east-southeast before the first light of dawn.
	Neptune (magnitude 8, in Capricornus) is well up in the east-southeast before the first light of dawn.
	Pluto (magnitude 14, in northwestern Sagittarius) is not far from Jupiter in the south late at night.

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