By Neill Simmons
The highlight of June is the small planet Mercury, which will shine brightly low in the west just after sunset. Watch as Mercury gets higher and higher each night in June. On June 26 Mercury will be at its highest point and will be joined by the beautiful, thin crescent Moon.
Mercury has no atmo-sphere, resulting in extreme temperature fluctuations between scorching daytime highs of 800 degrees and frigid nighttime lows of -300 degrees! To learn more about Mercury and the summer night sky, plan on attending a free talk at the Woodland Hills Library on Thursday, June 12, at 6 pm. Call the library at (818) 226-0017 for more information.
The red planet Mars is still visible in the west. On June 1, Mars will appear to be very close to the Moon. This will happen twice which is unusual. Look west again to find Mars and the thin crescent Moon will appear next to the planet. Mars’ signature color comes from the large amount of a chemical called iron oxide (or “rust” as you might know it) in its rocks and soil. Mars is home to the highest mountain in our solar system – a volcano called Olympus Mons. Standing at over 78,700 feet, it’s about three times the height of Mount Everest!
The full moon of June comes on Wednesday, June 11, and is appropriately named “The Strawberry Moon.” The Native Americans would gather wild strawberries that ripen this month. Our Moon is known for its influence on tides, its synchronous rotation which always shows the same side to Earth, and the fact that it doesn’t have its own light, but instead reflects sunlight.
DAWN PATROL: The planet Venus lights up the early morning sky from 4 am until sunrise. Also, at this time, the Arietids meteor shower will be active, with its peak expected around June 10. Remember as always, clear skies and dark skies are ideal for viewing.
Meteors, often called shooting stars, are streaks of light caused by small rocks or debris entering Earth’s atmosphere at high speed. These space rocks, called meteoroids, burn up and create a fiery trail as they travel through the air. Sometimes, larger meteoroids that survive the fiery descent and land on Earth are called meteorites.
Noctilucent Clouds are a great sight to behold after dusk in June. These clouds appear as thin, wispy, and some-times streaky clouds with a bluish or silvery hue. They glow because they are still illuminated by sunlight, even though the rest of the atmosphere below is in darkness. This happens because Noctilucent Clouds are much higher than all the other clouds in the sky. Look west to spot them after sunset.
The star Vega is 25 light years away from Earth. It is visible in the northeast after 9 pm. Vega is the fifth brightest star in the night sky and is 58 times bigger than our Sun. Vega is also one of three stars in the famous star pattern called the Summer Triangle, along with Deneb and Altair.
In June, the Big Dipper, the star pattern within the constellation Ursa Major, is easily seen from your backyard. It appears to be hanging by its handle. The Alaska state flag features eight gold stars on a dark blue field. Seven of the stars form the Big Dipper, a reference to the Great Bear which is indigenous to Alaska. The eighth star represents the North Star also known as Polaris. Polaris always stays in roughly the same place in the sky, and therefore it is a reliable way to find the direction of north.
The Griffith Park Observatory has a free monthly Star Party. It will be held on June 7 from 2 to 9:45 pm. This a chance for the whole family to look at the Sun, Moon, visible planets, and other objects, to try out a variety of telescopes, and to talk to knowledgeable amateur astronomers about the sky and their equipment.
When not stargazing, Neill Simmons, is a Wealth Advisor with LPL Financial in Woodland Hills. If you have any astronomy or financial questions, he may be reached at (818) 936-2626 or emailed at neill.simmons@lpl.com.
