Star Calendar

June 2017

Star Planets:

Moon appears at First Quarter as the month opens, stands over Jupiter on the 3rd, and is then Full with Saturn on the 9th. Early risers will be treated to a complementary pairing with Venus on the 20th and 21st, the complement being of crescent/gibbous, wane and wax.

Mercury celebrates our solstice from the far side of the Sun as he makes superior conjunction on the 21st.

Venus shows her First Quarter on the 5th, then waxes as she draws nearer the Sun. Early summer sunrises, made earlier by meddling with the clocks, makes sightings less common.

Sun now reigns above the horizon 15 hours a day (in Spring Valley), varying by only 11 minutes this month. On the Solstice he stands between the stars Betelgeuse and Menkalinon — if you can recall seeing them as winter wound down; Betelgeuse is the brighter armpit of Orion and Menkalinon is that other Aurigan star one sees when looking for yellow Capella along the great Arc of Capella. The former stands right on the meridian of summer solstice.

Mars is unviewable this month. He and Mercury will have a discreet tête à tête as the latter scoots by on the 28th.

Jupiter remains prominent and southerly in the evening. He ceases his retro urge on the 10th and begins his stroll toward Libra — which he will achieve, arm-in-arm with Venus, in mid November.

Saturn is brightest this month, but never gets as bright as Jupiter at his least. Opposition is on the 15th, but, again due to fiddling with clocks, he does not culminate until 1:00AM — and then is only 27 degrees high. Use the Full Moon on the 9th to advantage in taking notice.

Star Days:

   1 Sunrise/set in Spring Valley at 5:26/20:23 (14h57m daylight)
   3 Venus at largest angle from Sun for this appearance, 46 degrees
     Moon above Jupiter in South as dark falls
   4 Moon above Spica in South as dark falls, Jupiter bright and to right
 8-9 Full Strawberry Moon at 9:10AM of the 9th
   9 Moon with Saturn and Antares, rising ESE just before 9:00PM
  10 Jupiter stationary, to normal motion (leftwards against stars)
  14 Sunrise is earliest for the year, at 5:23
  15 Saturn in opposition, brightest, middle of backwards movement
  20 Moon, waning beside waxing Venus, in East at 4:00AM
  21 Solstice at 00:24, rise/set at 5:24/20:32 (15h8m daylight)
     Sun then enters astronomical Gemini (solstice was in Taurus)
     Mercury passes far side of Sun (superior conjunction)
  23 Traditional Mid-summer, St. John’s Eve
     Moon New and Perigee, 16 hours apart (dark, with large tides)
  27 Sunset is latest for the year, at 20:33
  28 Moon nearly grazes Regulus, 9:30PM in West
  30 Sunrise/set in Spring Valley at 5:27/20:33 (15h6m daylight)