June 2018 Sky Calendar
Jun 6, 2018 2:50:23 GMT
Post by Joe on Jun 6, 2018 2:50:23 GMT
CVAS Monthly Sky Calendar for June 2018
Venus – Venus can be found in the western evening skies after sunset with it being up for around 2 ½ hours the whole month and be over 25° high at sunset. Its phase for the month will go from 80% to 70%, its size going from 13.15 to 15.6 arc-seconds, and a magnitude of around -4.0 for the month. On the 6th it reaches it’s highest sunset attitude, then as the Summer goes on, through the fall, it will slowly get lower and lower.
Jupiter – Jupiter can be found in the south-eastern/southern skies after sunset. It is best to view when it is highest up in the south, to start the month, this 11:30pm, by month’s end will be due south at 9:30pm. During the month the size goes from 44.0 to 41.5 arc-seconds with a magnitude around -2.5 to -2.4. Just a month past opposition, it is still one of the best months to see it for this year being nicely placed in early nights skies.
Saturn- This month and next are the best months to view Saturn this year with it being at opposition on the 27th of this month. To start the month it is up for over 7 hours with it being due south around 3am. At month’s end it is up near to 9 hours with it being due south around 1am. The size of Saturn itself goes from 18.0 arc-seconds to 18.3 arc-seconds with a magnitude going from 0.2 to 0.03 during the month. The rings are about 2 ½ times larger than the planet itself and have a tilt of close to 26 degrees this month.
Mars – As Mars approaches opposition late next month, it best viewed in the morning hours when it highest up in the south. To start the month it due south around 5AM, at month end it due south around 3:30AM. It is now up between 5 to 7 hours before sunrise for the month. It is size is now getting pretty large with it diameter being between 15.3 and 20.7 arc-seconds for the month. Mars is now very bright now with its magnitude increases during the month going from -1.2 to -2.1.
Neptune – Neptune can be found in the morning hours when it up in the SE/S skies at sunrise. It is up from 3 ½ to 5 ½ hours this month with it being over 35° high by sunrise. During the month its size will be around 2.2 arc-seconds with a magnitude of around 7.9.
Uranus –Uranus can be found in the eastern morning skies this month an hour or two before sunrise. To start the month it is up close to 2 hours and 21° high at sunrise, by month’s end this increases to closer to 4hours and 40° high. During the month, its magnitude will around 5.9 with a diameter of 3.4 arc-seconds.
See is.gd/urnep for a finder chart for Neptune and Uranus.
Mercury – To start the month it is very low in the east at sunrise but as it approaches superior conjunction on the 6th, it will be too close to the Sun to see for the first part of the month. As it comes out of conjunction, it rises up at month’s end and is up for 1 ½ hours, being 15° high by sunset. From mid-month to the end of the month, its phase will go from 91% up to 62%, it size from 5.3 arc-seconds to 6.5 arc-seconds and it magnitude from -1.2 to -0.1.
Vesta – The asteroid 4 Vesta is at opposition on June 19th this year. At this time it will reach a magnitude of 5.3, making visible in darker skies to the naked eye. This will be brightest it has been in years and will not be this bright again until 2031. This year it is in Sagittarius, near the top of the tea-pot, not too far from Saturn actually.
Summer Solstice – The Summer Solstice, the office start of summer, arrives at 6:07AM on the 21st.