* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

RE: June 2012

Blobrana · L

Credit: SDO/HMI

Blobrana · L

Mercury is 12' north of Venus at 20:40:22 UT, 1st June, 2012.

Blobrana · L

Tonight's Sky: June 2012

Blobrana · L

Asteroid (128) Nemesis is at Opposition on the 6th June, 2012.

Asteroid (52) Europa is at Opposition on the 13th June, 2012.

Asteroid (138) Tolosa is at Opposition on the 13th June, 2012.

Asteroid (23) Thalia is at Opposition on the 14th June, 2012.

Asteroid (44) Nysa is at Opposition on the 23rd June, 2012.

Asteroid (18) Melpomene is at Opposition on the 24th June, 2012.

Asteroid (196) Philomela is at Opposition on the 28th June, 2012.

Blobrana · L

June has two main meteor showers, the Arietids and the June Bootids.
Unfortunatly, the Arietids are during the daylight hours.
The Earth will pass through a stream of dusty debris. Thought no one is sure where the Arietids dust comes from, although some suspect its debris from the sungrazing asteroid (1566) Icarus. Most Arietid meteors are invisible because the Sun is up when the shower is most intense.

Shower	Activity Period	Maximum	Radiant		Velocity	ZHR
		Date	R.A.	Dec.	km/s
June Scutids		3rd June
May-Librids		4th June	16.5h	-22.8°	12.2	4.2
June Lyrdis	June 1-21	5th June	17.3h	40.0 °	37.2	7
Arietids 12h (daylight)	June 2 - 14	8th June	20.9h	57.8°	12.4	52.7
Tau Herculids	May 19 - June 19	9th June	236°	41.0°
Theta Ophiuchids	May 21 - June 16	10-15th June	265	-28°	29	10
Pi Puppids		16th June	7.5h	-15.0°	24.8	25
Northern May Ophiuchids	17th June	17th June	18.5h	4.3 °	10
June Bootids	June 22-July 2	27th June	224°	+48°	18

The Bootid meteor shower will peak on the night of June 27th. The radiant is in the northern constellation Bootes, the Herdsman.

This shower is currently active during June 27 to July 5 and possesses a maximum of activity that falls on the 28th.
The June Bootids have an hourly rate between 3 and 100. The stream is noted for an especially strong display in 1916, and good displays in 1921 and 1927. The source of the June Bootids is comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke.
The meteors are primarily faint, with an average magnitude near 5, however, bright meteors do occur regularly.
Slow meteors are characteristic.
At maximum the radiant is located at RA=233.7 deg, Dec=+52.2 deg.

Blobrana · L

Highlights

The Solstice on June 20th (23:08.8 UT) marks the official start of summer. It is the longest day for us in the northern hemisphere, and marks the celtic festival of Middansumor (AErra Liða)

The Summer Triangle -- Vega, Deneb, and Altair -- holds the central position, high in the south. The scorpion sits low to the south and slightly west. Directly to the arachnid's east is Sagittarius, the Archer, and between the two lies the direction toward the Milky Way galaxy's centre. The ribbon of soft light that delineates our galaxy flows up from the south, through the Triangle, and then cascades toward the northern horizon.

Out of the strange collection of heroes, heroines, animals and other assorted entities that make up the star pictures we have formed as the constellations of the night sky, none is stranger than the constellation Coma Bernices or Bernices Hair.
This clustering of faint stars is located about halfway between the bright stars Arcturus in Bootes and Regulus in the constellation of Leo the Lion. At one time, this faint asterism actually belonged to Leo as a tuft on a much more extended version of Leos tail. Leos tail tuft became a casualty of history in the 3rd century B.C. when Egypt was ruled by the pharaoh Ptolemy III and his wife Bernice. She possessed legendary beauty, the highlight of which was her long, flowing hair.

Notable Messier objects

M13 in the constellation Hercules, is one of the largest of over 100 globular clusters in our Galaxy. Located about 25,000 light-years away, it contains about half a million stars packed into a space only a few tens of light years in diameter. Globular clusters contain some of the oldest stars in the Universe.
M56 Also in the constellation of Lyra we find our first globular cluster of the night. In a telescope look for a small round ball of light, slightly brighter in the centre. This is a difficult binocular object appearing as a small fuzzy patch.
M27 Also known as the Dumbbell nebula, the largest planetary nebula in the Messier Catalogue, M27 lies in the constellation Vulpecula. Fairly easy to see in binoculars as a small hazy patch. In small to medium scopes it appears as a rectangular patch of light. In large scopes it may even appear round in shape with a bright rectangular, or dumbbell shaped core.

Blobrana · L

Mercury: at magnitude -1.7, starts the month in the constellation of Taurus. Mercury was at Perihelion on the 29th May, 2012. Mercury is in conjunction in Right Ascension with Venus on the 1st June. The Moon is close to Mercury on the 21st June, 2012. Mercury is at Dichotomy (Half phase) on the 25th June, 2012.
(On June 1st, RA= 5h08m19s Dec=+24°14.5' (J2000) Distance=1.295AU Elongation= 7° Phase k=96% Diameter=5.2")

Venus: is at magnitude -3.9. The planet is in constellation Taurus at the start of the month. It is best seen from 3.7h -21.5h. A transit of Venus begins at 22:02:25 UT, 5th June, 2012 (ends at 4:56:39 UT, 6th June). Venus is at inferior conjunction on the 6th June.
(On June 1st, RA= 5h09m51s Dec=+24°13.6' (J2000) Distance=0.292AU Elongation= 8° Phase k=0% Diameter=57.0")

Earth: Northern Solstice at 23:08.8 UT, 20th June, 2012.

The Moon: Full moon, and Partial lunar eclipse, (diameter 33.262') in the constellation Ophiuchus at 11:11.6 UT, 4th June. This full Moon, or 'Supermoon', occurs just 22 hours after perigee. Lunar perigee (distance 352116.6 km, apparent diameter: 33'56.3") at 13:22.7 UT, 3rd June. Last Quarter Moon at 10:41.3 UT, 11th June. Lunar apogee (distance: 399386.4 km, apparent diameter: 29'55.3") at 1:32.8 UT, 16th June, 2012. New Moon (diameter: 29.804') at 15:02.1 UT, 19th June. First Quarter Moon at 03:30.4 UT, 27th June, 2012.

Mars: at magnitude 0.5 starts the month in the constellation Leo. The Moon is close to Mars on the 26th June, 2012.
(On June 1st, RA=11h04m50s Dec= +7°05.6' (J2000) Distance=1.188AU Elongation= 94° Phase k=88% Diameter=7.9")

Jupiter: is in the constellation Taurus. At magnitude -2.0, the planet is mostly unobserable this month. Jupiter was in conjunction with Sun on the 13th May. The Moon is close to Jupiter (A thin crescent moon occults Jupiter in Barrow Alaska and Northern Canada) on the 17th June, 2012.

Transit times of the Great Red Spot are posted in a seprate thread.
(On June 4th, RA= 3h44m02s Dec=+18°58.3' (J2000) Distance=5.973AU Elongation= 16° Diameter=33.0")

Saturn: at magnitude 0.5 sits in the constellation Virgo. The planet is best seen from 21.3h - 2.3h. Saturn is Stationary: Getting Prograde (relative to equator) on the 26th.
(On June 1st, RA=13h29m21s Dec= -6°28.6' (J2000) Distance=9.024AU Elongation=132° Diameter=18.3")

Uranus: is in the constellation Cetus. Uranus at magnitude 5.9, has a bluish-green hue and appears 3.3 arcseconds wide. Uranus was in conjunction on the 24th March, 2012.
(On March 1st, RA= 0h12m19s Dec= +0°34.7' (J2000) Distance=20.991AU Diameter=3.3")

Neptune: is at magnitude 7.9 in the constellation Aquarius. The planet is best seen the morning sky. Neptune is stationary: Getting Retrograde on the 4th June, 2012. The Moon is close to Neptune on the 10th June, 2012.
(On December 1st, RA=22h01m53s Dec=-12°38.9' (J2000) Distance=30.174AU Elongation= 79° Diameter=2.2")

Pluto: is in the constellation Sagittarius (mag 14.0). Normally, a finder chart is necessary to help in identifying the 0.13" diameter dwarf planet. The dwarf planet is best seen from 22.6h - 1.7h. Pluto was stationary on the 10th April. Pluto makes its closest approach to the Earth (distance: 31.240 AU) on the 26th. Pluto is at Opposition on the 29th.
(On May 1st, RA=18h39m14s Dec=-19°13.3' (J2000) Distance=31.684AU Diameter=0.1")

The Sun enters the zodiac sign of Cancer at 23:09 UT on the 20th June, 2012.