Best Night Sky Events of June 2015 (Stargazing Maps)

Full Moon and the Night Sky: June 2015

See what's up in the night sky for June 2015, including stargazing events and the moon's phases, in this Space.com gallery courtesy of Starry Night Software. HERE: Tuesday, June 2, 12:19 p.m. EDT. The Full Moon of June is known as the “Mead Moon,” “Strawberry Moon,” “Rose Moon,” or “Thunder Moon.” It rises around sunset and sets around sunrise; this is the only night in the month when the moon is in the sky all night long. The rest of the month, the moon spends at least some time in the daytime sky.

Last Quarter Moon, June 2015

Tuesday, June 9, 11:42 a.m. EDT. The Last Quarter Moon rises around 1:15 a.m. and sets around 1:15 p.m. It is most easily seen just after sunrise in the southern sky.

New Moon, June 2015

Tuesday, June 16, 10:05 a.m. EDT. The moon is not visible on the date of New Moon because it is too close to the sun, but can be seen low in the east as a narrow crescent a morning or two before, just before sunrise. It is visible low in the west an evening or two after New Moon.

First Quarter Moon, June 2015

Wednesday, June 24, 5:03 a.m. EDT. The First Quarter Moon rises around 12:30 p.m. and sets around 1:15 a.m. It dominates the evening sky.

Double Shadow Transit on Jupiter, June 2015

Thursday, June 4, 12:58–2:13 a.m. EDT. The shadows of Io and Ganymede will simultaneously fall on the face of Jupiter.

Venus at Greatest Elongation East, June 2015

Saturday, June 6, evening twilight. Venus reaches its greatest eastward distance from the sun, its orbit shown in white here. It is closing in on Jupiter.

Pallas at Opposition, June 2015

Thursday, June 11, 9 p.m. EDT. Pallas, the second largest asteroid, will be in opposition to the sun. At magnitude 9.4, it will be located just south of Lambda Hercules, below the “keystone” of Hercules.

Uranus and the Moon, June 2015

Thursday/Friday, June 11/12. The moon will be close to Uranus just before sunrise. In southern Australia and the South Pacific Ocean, the moon will actually occult Uranus, as seen here from Melbourne, Australia.

Mercury and the Moon, June 2015

Monday, June 15, sunrise. As seen here from Sri Lanka, the moon will occult the planet Mercury. Other parts of the world will see the thin crescent of Mercury very close to the thin crescent of the moon just before sunrise.

Aldebaran and the Moon, June 2015

Monday, June 15, sunrise. As seen here from eastern North America, the moon will occult the bright red giant star Aldebaran.

Solstice, June 2015

Sunday, June 21, 12:38 p.m. EDT. The sun reaches its most northern point, marking the middle of the astronomical summer season in the Northern Hemisphere, and winter in the Southern Hemisphere. The actual seasons tend to lag behind the astronomical seasons by about 6 weeks.