Antares, the 15th brightest star visible from Earth, shines reddish at the heart of the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. Translated from the Greek, Antares signifies “rival of Ares,” i.e. of the red planet, Mars. Notice the star in each of the four representations of the Scorpion, above, as well as in the concluding star map. Scorpius is visible rising close to the south-southeast horizon at nightfall in the coming week. The Scorpion’s full figure stands on the southern horizon at midnight in the coming days and, by month’s end, at 10 p.m.
In the illustrations, Antares, 1.03 magnitude, is highlighted along with the Scorpion’s stinger, marked by a pair of stars, Shaula, 1.59m, and Lesath, 2.68m, known as the Cat’s Eyes (the smaller the number, the brighter the celestial object). For a cosmic vantage point, Antares, a red supergiant star, is 700 times our Sun’s diameter.
Civil twilight begins at about 9 p.m. during the month of June, while nightfall, known as astronomical twilight, begins close to 10:45 p.m.
up to magnitude 7.23 in Lambert Az Eq Area projection.
The brightest star in our summer evening sky is Arcturus, -0.07m. In the sky map, below, find the Big Dipper at the top; with your eyes, trace the arc of its handle, slide off, and land on orange Arcturus. The second brightest star in summer skies, Vega, 0.00m, is to the east, left, of Arcturus, marking a corner of the Summer Triangle. Below Vega, find Altair, 0.75m. Complete the triangle by looking up to Deneb, 1.25m. In the diagram, above, notice the sketch of Cygnus the Swan stretching out from Deneb. See Aquila the Eagle at Altair and the Lyre at Vega. While the high magnitude stars will be visible even in the presence of moonlight, see the star patterns before moonrise in the coming week.
The waxing gibbous moon on June 9 appears to the right of Antares. Enjoy the nearly full moon rising in the southeast at 8:31 p.m. on the 10th. The Full Strawberry Moon rises above the southeast horizon at 9:28 p.m. on Wednesday, June 11. In hilly terrain, could be an hour later.
Our star, the Sun, rises at 5:17 a.m. E.D.T. (Eastern Daylight Time) from June 8 through June 22. Sunset is at 8:27 p.m. today and up to a few minutes later through July 1. The longest days of the year occur from June 19 through 22 when sunsets are at 8:33 p.m. and day length 15 hours, 16 minutes; shortest nights are eight hours, 44 minutes. Summer Solstice, the astronomical first day of summer, occurs on June 20, at 10:42 p.m. to be exact.
Opportunities to enjoy and care for the nighttime ecosystem
Lights Out: Recovering Our Night Sky
Exhibition: Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.
A North Woods Frog Chorus
Cable Natural History Museum, Cable Wisconsin
The frogs who are calling throughout the spring and summer. Can you hear all the species of frogs? Watch again and sing along! (0:22)
Fireflies: experience awe and act to protect from habitat loss
Do not mow fields until the completion of the firefly’s life cycle.
Dark Sky International
Restores the nighttime environment and protects communities from the harmful effects of light pollution through outreach, advocacy, and conservation.
Massachusetts Dark Sky
Lighting best practices. Education. Advocacy.
A Star’s Music
