Press
June heralds the start of the astronomical summer. It begins with two bright stars. At least a few planets are also visible.
Frankfurt – Every year around June 21st, the sun reaches its highest point of the year – it is the time of the summer solstice and the starting signal for the astronomical summer in the northern hemisphere. In 2024, this starting signal will be given on June 20th at 9:51 p.m. – it is the longest day of the year.
“Anyone who can see the setting point of the sun from a fixed point of view should follow it,” recommends Uwe Pilz from the Association of Star Friends in response to a request from fr.de from IPPEN.MEDIA. “The sun sets further and further north during the course of June and reaches its northernmost point, i.e. the point furthest to the right, on June 20th. Just a few days later, this point has moved a little further south again.”
In the night sky in June you can first see two bright stars
When the sun has set in the evening, you can first see two particularly bright stars: the distinctly orange-red Arcturus in the constellation of Boera, and the bluish-white Vega in the constellation of Lyra. Arcturus is the brightest star in the northern sky and the fourth brightest star in the entire starry sky. It is only 36.7 light years away from Earth – so relatively close in astronomical terms. Vega is even closer, at only about 25 light years from the sun.
The star is part of the Summer Triangle, which is clearly visible in the night sky in June. In addition to Vega, the Summer Triangle includes the stars Deneb in the constellation Cygnus and Altair in the constellation Aquila. The Big Dipper – part of the constellation Ursa Major – is still high in the sky, but will soon move back down. In the southwest, the constellation Virgo can be seen, with its main star Spica glowing bluish.
In the starry sky in June: Red star Antares is the “counter-Mars”
In the south you can see Scorpius with its red main star Antares. Antares is a red supergiant with an interesting name. It comes from ancient Greek and means “opposite Ares”. The god Ares was known to the Romans as Mars – so Antares is the “opposite Mars”. This could also be because Antares and Mars both glow reddish in the sky.
As far as the planets are concerned, the situation in June will be somewhat better than it was in May. Mercury and Venus will remain unobservable, but Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will be visible in the sky again. Mercury will not be visible in the sky in June, but will still reach its closest point to the sun, the so-called perihelion, on June 13th. This is also when it will be at its fastest speed: it will race around the sun at 212,400 km/h – the fastest speed that a planet in our solar system can reach.
Planets Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will be visible in the sky again in June
Venus, which is also unobservable in June, catches up with the sun at the beginning of the month and disappears – from an earthly perspective – behind the sun’s disk. However, the occultation of Venus by the sun cannot be observed with amateur equipment. However, the planet Mars can finally be seen again. It can be found in the morning sky, where it still glows quite faintly red. On June 3rd, the crescent moon visits the red planet in the sky.
Jupiter will appear in the morning sky again from around the middle of the month. There it will move through the “golden gate of the ecliptic” – formed by the two open star clusters Pleiades and Hyades in the constellation Taurus. Saturn will continue to be visible in the sky in the second half of the night. It will not rise until the end of June, just before midnight. Its brightness will increase slightly over the course of the month. On June 27th it will have a picturesque meeting with the crescent moon. (tab)