Stars and Constellations
In June, the spring sky is now prominent overhead, along with the familiar Big Dipper. The Big Dipper is high in the north, and the two stars at the end of the bowl can be used to find Polaris, our north star. Also, the handle can be used to "arc to Arcturus", a bright star in the constellation Boötes. Then Hercules is just below towards the east. Next, Leo the lion is very high in the west, with the constellation Virgo nearby to the south. A few winter constellations are still visible, now very low in the west. Castor and Pollux, the heads of Gemini the twins, are the most prominent, to the west-northwest. The summer sky is now just starting to come up at the beginning of the night. The bright star Vega in the constellation Lyra the harp is towards the east-northeast. In the southeast we have the constellation Scorpius the scorpion, with the bright star Antares. Further to the south we can also see the constellations of Centaurus and Lupus the wolf right along the horizon.
In July, the last of the winter constellations are now gone, and the spring constellations are beginning to head to the west. The summer constellations are now mostly up in the east. We can easily see all three stars in the Summer Triangle, Vega being the highest in the east-northeast, Deneb a little lower to the northeast, and Altair to the east. To the southeast we can see the Teapot of Sagittarius near the tail of Scorpius. Also, to the north-northeast we can see the W of Cassiopeia the queen.
Interesting Stars Visible in June and July (from 7-10 pm)
| Name / Designation | Apparent Magnitude (lower = brighter) | Distance (light-years) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arcturus | -0.05 | 36.7 | |
| Vega | 0.03 | 25 | |
| Capella | 0.08 | 42 | |
| Procyon | 0.4 | 11 | |
| Altair | 0.76 | 17 | |
| Spica | 0.98 | 262 | |
| Pollux | 1.16 | 38 | |
| Markab | 1.25 | 140 | |
| Deneb | 1.25 | 3230 | |
| Regulus | 1.36 | 77 | means "Little King" |
| Castor | 1.58 | 52 | |
| Polaris | 1.97 | 431 | |
| Alpheratz or Sirrah | 2.07 | 97 | |
| Denebola | 2.14 | 36.2 | |
| Enif | 2.38 | 670 | |
| Albireo | 3.2 / 5.8 & 5.1 | 390 / 380 | possibly a triple star system |
| Eta Cassiopeiae | 3.5 / 7.4 | 19 | 480 yr orbit |
Solar System
Mercury is visible in the west after sunset for most of June, passes between Earth and the Sun in mid-July, and then reappears in the morning sky toward the end of the month.
Venus rises higher and higher in the evening sky throughout June and July.
Mars is slowly getting higher in the morning sky, moving from Aries into Taurus.
Jupiter is in Gemini, getting lower and lower in the west after sunset until it disappears in early July. It will pass behind the Sun later in the month.
Saturn is in Pisces, rising higher in the morning sky until it's high overhead by the end of July.
Jupiter Great Red Spot Transits in June and July (from 7-10 pm)
Note: The GRS is visible on the disk of Jupiter for 50 minutes before and after meridian transit time.
| DATE | MERIDIAN TRANSIT TIME |
|---|---|
| 06/04/26 | 08:13 PM |
| 06/09/26 | 07:23 PM |
| 06/11/26 | 09:02 PM |
| 06/16/26 | 08:12 PM |
| 06/21/26 | 07:23 PM |
| 06/28/26 | 08:12 PM |
| 07/03/26 | 07:22 PM |
| 07/15/26 | 07:21 PM |
Calendar of Night Sky Events
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 06/08/26 | Last Quarter Moon. |
| 06/09/26 | Appulse of Venus and Jupiter. — Separated by 1.6°. |
| 06/14/26 | New Moon. |
| 06/15/26 | Mercury at greatest eastern elongation. — Visible in the evening sky. |
| 06/21/26 | Earth at northern solstice. — Beginning of our Summer. |
| 06/21/26 | First Quarter Moon. |
| 06/29/26 | Full Moon. |
| 07/03/26 | Appulse of Mars and Uranus. — Separated by 0.1°. |
| 07/06/26 | Earth at aphelion. — Our farthest distance from the Sun. |
| 07/07/26 | Last Quarter Moon. |
| 07/12/26 | Mercury at inferior conjunction. — Passing between us and the Sun. |
| 07/14/26 | New Moon. |
| 07/21/26 | First Quarter Moon. |
| 07/26/26 | Pluto at opposition. — Best time to look for this dwarf planet. |
| 07/28/26 | Peak of Delta Aquariids meteor shower. |
| 07/29/26 | Jupiter at conjunction. — Passing behind the Sun. |
| 07/29/26 | Full Moon. |
Deep Sky
There are several open star clusters we can see this time of year. First, Coma Berenices (Bernice's Hair) is high in the west near the tail of Leo. Next, there is the Ptolemy cluster (M7) and the Butterfly (M6) in the southeast near the tail of Scorpius. Also nearby is the Wild Duck (M11) in the constellation of Scutum.
Now that the Milky Way is coming up, there are several globular clusters we can see. M3 is high in the west, in the constellation Boötes. Nearby, the famous Hercules Globular (M13) is high in the east. We also have M5 high in the south in the constellation of Serpens. Finally, for those with a clear horizon, the amazing Omega Centauri (C80) is visible low to the south.
For nebulae, we can see the Swan (M17), the Lagoon (M8), and the Trifid (M20) to the southeast in the constellation Sagittarius. The Eagle (M16) is nearby in the constellation of Serpens. The North America nebula is also in the northeast in Cygnus. For planetary nebulae, we have the Owl (M97) in Ursa Major high in the northwest. We also have the Dumbbell (M27) in the west-northwest in the constellation of Vulpecula and the Ring (M57) nearby in Lyra.
And now the galaxies: In Ursa Major to the northwest we have Bode's Galaxy (M81) and the Cigar Galaxy (M82), close enough to be seen together in a low-power telescope. Nearby in the constellation Canes Venatici we have the Whirlpool (M51), which is a pair of colliding galaxies. The Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) is also nearby near the handle of the Big Dipper. Then the Southern Pinwheel (M83) is to the southwest in the constellation Hydra. The Sombrero Galaxy (M104) is nearby in the constellation Virgo.
Interesting Deep Sky Objects to Observe during June and July (from 7-10 pm)
| Designation | Name | Apparent Magnitude | Apparent Size | Distance (light-years) | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Messier 31 | Andromeda Galaxy | 3.4 | 3° x 1° | 2,900,000 | spiral galaxy |
| Messier 44 | Beehive Cluster | 3.7 | 95' | 577 | open cluster |
| Messier 3 | (in Canes Venatici) | 6.2 | 18' | 34,000 | globular cluster |
| Messier 27 | Dumbbell Nebula | 7.4 | 8' × 6' | 1,250 | planetary nebula |
| NGC 7009 | Saturn Nebula | 8 | 36" | 2,400 | planetary nebula |
| Messier 81 | Bode's Galaxy | 8.5 | 21' | 12,000,000 | spiral galaxy |
| NGC 3242 | Ghost of Jupiter | 8.6 | 25" | 1,400 | planetary nebula |
| Messier 57 | Ring Nebula | 8.8 | 1' | 2,300 | planetary nebula |
| Messier 82 | Cigar Galaxy | 9.5 | 14' | 12,000,000 | galaxy |
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the goal of the Artemis program?
This April we got to witness the historic flight of Artemis II, which brought humans the closest to the Moon that we’ve been since 1972 and which set a new record for the farthest humans have traveled away from the Earth. But this was just one part of a much bigger plan to begin a new era of exploration on the Moon and beyond.
Starting with Artemis I, this first mission sent an uncrewed spacecraft in a large loop around the Moon in fall 2022. It was important for testing the spacecraft and other components that would be used on later crewed missions. As expected, some issues were identified and addressed prior to the launch of Artemis II.
Coming up next, Artemis III was originally planned to be a crewed landing, but it was decided (wisely I think) to test the process of docking with the landing module in Earth orbit rather than at the Moon. As I’m writing this, this is scheduled to take place in late 2027.
Then Artemis IV, scheduled for early 2028, will finally bring humans back to the surface of the Moon. This will happen somewhere near the lunar south pole, where some craters are known to hold water ice. The exact location has not yet been decided, but the astronauts will deploy some instruments and take some samples while they’re there.
Artemis V and beyond will be focused on establishing a moon base that eventually will be able to sustain long-term missions similar to how we use the International Space Station today. Each successive mission will bring additional components for the base, including habitats for everyday life, construction equipment, power generators, life support modules, communication infrastructure, and even vehicles that will expand the area the astronauts will be able to reach during their stay.
Long term, the goal is to use what we learn about living and working on the Moon to help us venture elsewhere in the solar system: to Mars, the asteroids, and more. It’s exciting to think where we might be in just a few decades!
If you have any questions you'd like me to answer in the next issue of SWG, please let me know. I'm also happy to take suggestions or comments, and also pictures if you'd like to send them. Happy viewing!
Date of publication: 2026