June Calendar by Dave Mitsky

All times are UT (subtract 4 hours and when appropriate 1 calendar day for EDT)

6/1 Comet C/2004 Q2 (Machholz) will nearly occult the variable star Y Canum Venaticorum (La Superba)
6/2 Minimum lunar libration of 5.6 degrees occurs at 19:00
6/3 A double Galilean shadow transit (Europa's shadow is followed by Io's) begins at 3:34; Mercury is in superior conjunction at 9:00; asteroid 7 Iris (magnitude 9.2) is at opposition at 19:00
6/4 Mercury is at perihelion
6/5 Venus (magnitude -3.8) is 0.06 degree north of the open cluster M35 (magnitude 5.3) in Gemini at 8:00; Jupiter is stationary at 22:00 - direct (eastward) motion resumes afterwards
6/6 New Moon (lunation 1020) occurs at 21:55
6/7 Comet C/2004 Q2 (Machholz), as it heads southward through Canes Venatici, passes between the bright spiral galaxy M63 (the Sunflower Galaxy) and the interacting galaxies NGC 4485 and NGC 4490
6/8 A double Galilean shadow transit (Ganymede's shadow is followed by Io's) begins at 11:00; Venus is 4 degrees south of the Moon at 12:00; maximum lunar libration of 6.8 degrees occurs at 14:00
6/10 Saturn is 5 degrees south of the Moon at 2:00; a double Galilean shadow transit (Europa's shadow is followed by Io's) begins at 5:29
6/11 The Moon is at apogee, subtending 29'28" at a distance of 405,506 km, at 6:00
6/13 Minimum lunar libration of 6.1 degrees occurs at 4:00; a double Galilean shadow transit (Io's shadow is followed by Europa's) begins at 18:39
6/14 Mercury is at its greatest heliocentric latitude north; Venus is at perihelion; earliest sunrise of the year from latitude 40 degrees north; the Galilean satellites Europa and Callisto are equidistant from the axis of Jupiter and are only 27" apart at 1:43; Pluto (magnitude 13.8) is at opposition at 3:00
6/15 First Quarter Moon occurs at 1:22; Uranus is stationary at 7:00; a double Galilean shadow transit (Io's shadow is followed by Ganymede's) begins at 14:33
6/16 Jupiter is 0.4 degree north of the Moon at 7:00 - an occultation occurs in southeast Asia and parts of the south Pacific
6/17 A double Galilean shadow transit (Io's shadow is followed by Europa's) begins at 7:57
6/18 Asteroid 18 Melpomene (magnitude 9.5) is at opposition at 17:00
6/19 Maximum lunar libration of 7.4 degrees occurs at 2:00
6/20 Antares is 0.7 degree south of the Moon at 18:00 - an occultation occurs in southeast Europe, most of the Middle East, southern and central Asia, and the northern Philippines; a double Galilean shadow transit (Io's shadow is followed by Europa's) begins at 21:17
6/21 Mars is at its greatest heliocentric latitude south; Venus (magnitude -3.7) and Mercury (magnitude -0.5 ) are only 2 degrees apart; the summer solstice occurs at 6:46
6/22 Full Moon (known as the Rose, Planting, or Strawberry Moon) occurs at 4:14
6/23 The Moon is at perigee, subtending 33'13" at a distance of 359,674 km, at 12:00; Venus is 5 degrees south of the first magnitude star Pollux at 12:00
6/24 Mercury is 5 degrees south of the first magnitude star Pollux at 8:00; minimum lunar libration of 6.5 degrees occurs at 9:00; a double Galilean shadow transit (Io's shadow is followed by Europa's) begins at 10:35; a seventh magnitude star is just 6" north of Saturn at 15:00
6/25 Neptune is 5 degrees north of the Moon at 4:00; Venus is 1.3 degrees north of Saturn at 21:00
6/26 Jupiter will appear to have only one Galilean satellite (Callisto) for over an hour beginning at 3:26; Mercury is 1.4 degrees north of Saturn at 6:00; Mercury, Venus, and Saturn all fit into a 1.37 degree wide telescopic field of view at 11:00; Uranus is 3 degrees north of the Moon at 19:00
6/27 Mercury is just 3.9' south of Venus at 16:01; a double Galilean shadow transit (Io's shadow is followed by Europa's) begins at 23:54
6/28 Last Quarter Moon occurs at 18:23
6/29 Mars is 2 degrees south of the Moon at 4:00
6/30 Asteroid 1 Ceres is stationary at 13:00

Times and dates for the lunar light rays predicted to occur this month are available at http://www.lunar-occultations.com/rlo/rays/rays.htm

After undergoing superior conjunction, Mercury enters the evening sky at twilight during the second half of the month. From June 22 to June 29, Mercury, Venus, and Saturn fit within a 5 degree circle. Mercury is in conjunction with Saturn on June 26 and Venus on June 27. The speedy planet lies within 1 degree of Venus from June 24 through July 1. At sunset on June 27, the two planets are only 0.1 degree apart.

By mid-month, Venus (magnitude 3.7) sets in the west-northwest 1.5 hours after the Sun. Venus is in conjunction with Saturn on June 25 and Mercury on June 27.

In early June, Mars moves from Aquarius to Pisces. On June 20, it crosses the celestial equator and enters Cetus before returning to Pisces on June 30, when the Red Planet shines at -0.1 magnitude and subtends 9.3". By month's end, Mars rises at approximately the same time that Jupiter sets.

Jupiter, in Virgo, is due south at sunset on June 1 when it shines at -2.2 magnitude and subtends 40.2". For observers in the eastern United States, the Great Red Spot transits Jupiter's central meridian at the indicated UT times on the following dates: June 1 at 8:01, June 2 at 3:52, June 3 at 9:39, June 4 at 5:31, June 5 at 1:22, June 6 at 7:09, June 7 at 3:01, June 8 at 8:48, June 9 at 4:39, June 10 at 0:31 and 10:27, June 11 at 6:18, June 12 at 2:10, June 13 at 7:57, June 14 at 3:48, June 15 at 9:36, June 16 at 5:27, June 17 at 1:19, June 18 at 7:06, June 19 at 2:57, June 20 at 8:45, June 21 at 4:36, June 22 at 0:28 and 10:23, June 23 at 6:15, June 24 at 2:06, June 25 at 7:54, June 26 at 3:45, June 27 at 9:23, June 28 at 5:24, June 29 at 1:16, and June 30 at 7:03.

Saturn (magnitude 0.2) is still visible during evening twilight in early June but is lost in the glare of the Sun by the end of the month. It wanders from Gemini to Cancer on June 30.

Uranus (magnitude 5.8) resides in Aquarius this month.

Neptune (magnitude 7.9) is located about 4 degrees northeast of 4.1 magnitude Theta Capricorni, between 5.3 magnitude 29 Capricorni and 4.3 magnitude Iota Capricorni.

Distant Pluto (magnitude 13.8) reaches opposition on the night of June 13. It lies in Serpens Cauda, about 1.5 degrees northwest of 3.5 magnitude Xi Serpentis.

The normally dormant Bootid meteor shower peaks on June 27.

Comet C/2004 Q2 (Machholz) passes just to the east of the bright spiral galaxy M94 on June 9 and to the east of the 2.9 magnitude binary star Alpha Canum Venaticorum (Cor Caroli) on June 15.

The tenth magnitude periodic comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS passes within a degree of the bright spiral galaxy M33 (the Pinwheel Galaxy) in the early part of the month. As it heads to the northeast the comet passes just to the west of the bright open cluster NGC 869 at midnight on the night of June 29.

Seventh magnitude asteroid 1 Ceres travels southwestward through Libra in June.

Asteroid 2 Pallas is a ninth magnitude starlike object located in Coma Berenices.

Forty binary and multiple stars for June: Struve 1812, Kappa Bootis, Otto Struve 279, Iota Bootis, Struve 1825, Struve 1835, Pi Bootis, Epsilon Bootis, Struve 1889, 39 Bootis, Xi Bootis, Struve 1910, Delta Bootis, Mu Bootis (Bootes); Struve 1803 (Canes Venatici); Struve 1932, Struve 1964, Zeta Coronae Borealis, Struve 1973, Otto Struve 302 (Corona Borealis); Struve 1927, Struve 1984, Struve 2054, Eta Draconis, 17-16 Draconis, 17 Draconis (Draco); 54 Hydrae (Hydra); Struve 1919, 5 Serpentis, 6 Serpentis, Struve 1950, Delta Serpentis, Otto Struve 300, Beta Serpentis, Struve 1985 (Serpens Caput); Struve 1831 (Ursa Major); Pi-1 Ursae Minoris (Ursa Minor); Struve 1802, Struve 1833, Phi Virginis (Virgo)

Challenge binary star for June: Gamma Coronae Borealis

Fifty deep-sky objects for June: NGC 5466, NGC 5676, NGC 5689 (Bootes); M102 (NGC 5866), NGC 5678, NGC 5879, NGC 5905, NGC 5907, NGC 5908, NGC 5949, NGC 5963, NGC 5965, NGC 5982, NGC 5985, NGC 6015 (Draco); NGC 5694 (Hydra); NGC 5728, NGC 5791, NGC 5796, NGC 5812, NGC 5861, NGC 5878, NGC 5897 (Libra); M5, NGC 5921, NGC 5957, NGC 5962, NGC 5970, NGC 5962 (Serpens Caput); M101, NGC 5473, NGC 5474, NGC 5485, NGC 5585, NGC 5631 (Ursa Major); NGC 5566, NGC 5634, NGC 5701, NGC 5713, NGC 5746, NGC 5750, NGC 5775, NGC 5806, NGC 5813, NGC 5831, NGC 5838, NGC 5846, NGC 5850, NGC 5854, NGC 5864 (Virgo)

Challenge deep-sky object for June: Abell 2065

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