Weekly Stargazing Tips

Provided by StarDate.org. Unless otherwise specified, viewing times are local time regardless of time zone, and are good for the entire Lower 48 states (and, generally, for Alaska and Hawaii).

June 17: Moon and Saturn

Look for the planet Saturn near the Moon the next couple of mornings. It looks like a bright star. It will stand to the lower left of the Moon at dawn tomorrow, and a little closer to the right of the Moon on Thursday.

June 18: Barnard's Planets

At a distance of just six light-years, Barnard's Star is one of our closest neighbors. It is in Ophiuchus, the serpent-bearer, which stretches across the east and southeast in early evening. But you need a telescope to see Barnard's Star.

June 19: Altair

Aquila, the eagle, spreads its wings across the evening sky as we head into summer. It is low in the east as darkness falls. Its brightest star, Altair, is at the bottom right point of the widely spread Summer Triangle.

June 20: June Solstice

Today is the summer solstice. It's the point in Earth's orbit that marks the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere and winter in the southern hemisphere. It's also the longest day of the year north of the equator.

June 21: Moon and Venus

At dawn tomorrow, the Sun will light up only about one-eighth of the lunar hemisphere that faces our way, making it a fairly thin crescent. The planet Venus, the brilliant Morning Star, will stand to the lower right of the Moon.

June 22: Big Dipper

Summer is a great time to watch the Big Dipper. Tonight, it stands high in the northwest as darkness falls, and it drops toward the horizon during the night. As always, the stars of the Big Dipper appear to rotate around Polaris, the pole star.

June 23: Cygnus

Cygnus, the swan, soars through summer nights. Its brightest star, Deneb, is in the northeast at nightfall. It marks the swan's tail. The body stretches to the right, parallel to the horizon. The wings extend above and below, connected to the body by the star Sadr.