Looking towards the Eastern horizon anytime from 4AM onwards and you should pick out the bright point of light that is Venus, approx 15o above the lightening dawn sky. The final planet easily seen this month is Venus, though this one is for the early risers amongst you. A bright Full Moon will lie 2o or 4 moon diameters above the planet on the night of the 10th June. To give an idea of what the planet looks like in a small telescope, a photo taken by me through a scope is attached. Although at it’s best for viewing at the moment, the planet is at a very low point in the sky, never more than around 15 degrees - or 30 full moon diameters - above the South horizon and it will remain poorly placed for the next handful of years as it slowly orbits our Sun, climbing as it does to higher altitudes in the celestial sphere. Rising low in the SE at Sunset, so visible all night long, is the ringed planet Saturn. The Moon pays a visit to Jupiter’s area of the sky around the 3rd of June, with a repeat visit at the end of the month on the 30th for those wishing to grab a photo opportunity. Jupiter still continues to dominate the South and South Western sky when darkness falls, displaying it’s usual retinue of four bright moons and cloud belts on the planetary disc. ![]() Looking to the skies however, and we still have a couple of planets on show for the month. Although officially the start of summer, astronomically speaking, the Earth is actually at it's furthest point from the Sun in it’s orbit at this time, hence why we have milder winters and cooler summers than our Southern Hemisphere compatriots……. In June, the night sky never really achieves a truly “dark” state as the Sun is never more than 18 degrees below the horizon and the longest day of the year or “Summer Solstice” falls on the 21st of the month. ![]() The chart shows the night sky for Mid June at around 11 PM.
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