What's Up?

This page shows a brief summary of what interesting things we can see in the sky this month.  

A more detailed version of 'What's Up' this month is available as a downloadable Word document right at the bottom of this page. 

There is an Annular Solar Eclipse on Thursday June 10th. The Annularity is visible from Greenland but 30% Partiality will be visible from Barr Beacon (Bridle lane entrance) between 10:00am and 12:30pm. There will be telescopes and eclipse shades available.

The Sun - Summer solstice is on June 21st, at about 04:34am. (All times are in BST). The Sun is available for observing all year round, but the sunspot minimum is well past and there are often sunspots and prominences to see. But BE CAREFUL, NEVER look directly at the Sun without the correct safety filters, blindness could result! If in doubt ask Alan Ledbury (01922 6322624) or contact us via the form here.

The Moon

The phases of the Moon are as follows:

• Last Quarter - 2nd June
• New - 10th June
• First Quarter - 18th June
• Full Moon - 24th June

Darkest nights for observing, due to lack of moonlight, will be from 7th to the 15th June.

Mercury is visible in the evening then becomes a morning object; the evening apparition in May was the best this year. 

Venus is still high in the West after sunset and remains so all month.

Mars is becoming difficult to observe low above the sunset.

Jupiter rises at 01:45 am on the 1st June and 11:45 pm on 30th June.

Saturn is still close to Jupiter and rises 40 minutes earlier than Jupiter.

Uranus is a morning object, rising at around 3:30 am.

 Neptune is a morning object, rising at around 1:30 am.

Comets

No bright comets this month. 

Asteroids

No bright asteroids this month. 

Meteors

The Eta Aquarids peak on the night of 5th and 6th (Wednesday night –Thursday Morning) but a gibbous Moon spoils the show.  

Deep Sky 

Not a good month for observing deep sky, hardly any darkness at all, however, if you are holidaying in Cornwall or the Mediterranean, it is a little darker down South so try for Sagittarius and Scorpius which hide a wealth of bright clusters and the huge starcloud that is the centre of the Galaxy. June is also the best time to observe and photograph noctilucent clouds in the North. Try some doubles like Albireo, the 'beak' of the Swan (Cygnus) is a beautiful blue and orange double. Iota Librae is a double in binos but telescopes reveal a third and fourth companion.  

• Constellation of the month, Coma Berenices 'The hair of Berenice', wife of King Ptolemy III of Egypt 246 BCE to 222 BCE, she prayed to Aphrodite for the safe return of her husband from the wars and when the wish was granted she sacrificed her hair.
• Visit one of the most incredible "things that Messier missed." You’ll find NGC 4565 located less than two degrees east of 17 Comae. Residing at a distance of around 30 million light-years it is known as the needle. 
• M99, although situated in constellation Coma Berenices, is one of the bright spiral members of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies. 
• The black eye in M64 is seen in a 6" telescope, M85 is a lenticular galaxy. 
• M91 is a barred galaxy 24 Comae is an orange and emerald double 8 degrees west and 1 degree north of Alpha Comae, separation is 20 arcseconds.