Venus and Jupiter, the two brightest planets, will be on full display for Bloomington stargazers this June as they gradually approach one another in the western sky. They will end the month spectacularly close in the nighttime sky, according to an IU press release through the Department of Astronomy.
As of Monday, Jupiter has joined Venus, the brighter of the two planets, in the twilight evening just 20 degrees south of the smaller planet, according to the release.
Following the full moon Tuesday, the gap between Jupiter and Venus has begun shrinking and will continue to do so throughout the month.
Come June 13, Venus and Jupiter will have come close enough to form a nearly equidistant diagonal line with the bright star, Regulus, just before Venus sets near midnight local daylight time.
Also on June 13 and 14, Venus will pass one degree north of the Beehive star cluster, which is expected to be a splendid sight through binoculars, according to the release.
“Stargazers will see planets’ orbits with the naked eye, but binoculars make it bigger,” said Hal Kibbey, who has been writing the monthly Star Trak for IU’s Department of Astronomy since 1980.
Following the new moon June 16, the summer solstice begins June 21 when the sun is highest at 12:38 p.m. This astrological occurrence marks the start of summer in the Northern hemisphere and winter in the Southern hemisphere. Days in Bloomington will continue to grow shorter from then on for the next six months.
Jupiter and Venus will then be within two degrees of each other for eight evenings starting June 27. Their separation will be closest June 30 when they will only be 0.3 degrees away from each other.
On the same night, even the lowest power telescopes will be able to witness the brilliant planets closest to each other, and both planets will fit in the same field of view of a telescope at home.
“You either see Venus or Jupiter separately, normally you can’t see them together at the same time,” Kibbey said. “Jupiter is at times spectacular, and Venus always is. This is not a once-in-a-lifetime type of event, but they do come fairly close every couple of years.”
Another beautiful sight to see will be Saturn in the southeast at nightfall, which will remain in the sky until morning twilight. It will be a fine object for viewing with a telescope when it is highest in the south, according to the release. Saturn’s rings will be tilted 24 degrees to Earth’s line of sight, and Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, can be seen with any power level telescope for a breathtaking view.
Mars will not be visible during the month of June.
To get a better view of all the activity happening in the nighttime sky this month, the Kirkwood Observatory will be open for free star shows from 10:30 to 11:30 p.m. June 10, June 17 and June 24.
