* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

RE: June 2012

Blobrana · L

Moonrise in the constellation Aquarius at 23:39.4 UT, 9th June, 2012 (For Scotland).

Blobrana · L

Bright planets usher in summer solstice

A number of bright planets herald the arrival of summer. Mercury, always a difficult planet to spot, even if you know where it will be in the sky, makes a favourable showing this month, particularly during the second half of June. Start looking for it this evening, just above the WNW horizon about 30 minutes after the sun sets. It will be at its highest point in the twilight sky between June 20 and June 26, when it will be about a hand's width (at arm's length) above the horizon. You'll only have a brief window to catch a glimpse of Mercury though, as it drops below the horizon about an hour later. On June 21, look for the thin crescent of the waning moon to the lower left of Mercury.
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Blobrana · L

Rare astronomical event as Venus passes between the Sun and Earth

Crowds gather across the world to watch as the planet Venus passes between the Sun and the Earth in a rare astronomical event.

Blobrana · L

Sunrise at 3:16.7 UT, 6th June, 2012. (For Scotland)

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Sunrise at 03:17.5 UT, 5th June, 2012. (for Scotland)

Venus rise at 03:21.2 UT

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Venus to put on Sun spectacular

Planet Venus is set to move across the face of the Sun as viewed from Earth.
The more than six-and-a-half-hour transit, which starts just after 22:00 GMT (23:00 BST) on Tuesday is a very rare astronomical phenomenon that will not be witnessed again until 2117.
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Ed ~ The transit of Venus begins at 22:02:25 UT, 5th June, 2012.

Blobrana · L

Eyes on the Sky: June 4 thru Jun 10

Credit eyesontheskyDOTcom

What a load of syzygies! Lunar eclipse Monday and Venus Transit on Tuesday (for those in the U.S.). But with the summer constellations making their way westward, there are some easy - and hard - to find objects in Sagittarius, including some star clusters, but more notably, the dwarf planet Pluto. Will you be able to spot this 14th magnitude speck during June? You'll likely need dark skies and a scope of 8 inches or larger, but give it a try anyway.

Blobrana · L

Full Moon in the constellation Ophiuchus at 11:11.6 UT, 4th June.

This is the southernmost full moon of the year

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Neptune is stationary: Getting Retrograde on the 4th June, 2012.

Zoom view