Shenanigans of moon in the month of June

Be sure to catch the astronomical events that will gradually pull a curtain over the Indian skies as we head deeper into the month.

Hyderabad: Avid sky watchers are gearing up for the happening onset of monsoon, as the month of June is all set to witness absolute celestial spectacles. Be sure to catch the astronomical events that will gradually pull a curtain over the Indian skies as we head deeper into the month.

Director of the Planetary Society of India and the Planetary Group, N. Sri Raghunandan Kumar says that while binoculars or telescopes are required for witnessing most celestial events, the ones in June will be clearly visible to the naked eye due to moonlight.

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To begin with this celestial ride, on June 9 be ready to witness a moon and Saturn rendezvous. The ringed planet will be making an appearance and we will find the moon passing by it, around 2.15 am IST.

Post meeting Saturn, Moon is up for its catch-up with the big brother of planets – Jupiter on June 14. This conjunction would not be visible for a longer duration and will appear for just a few minutes around 11 am IST.

The next celestial event will occur on June 17 when Saturn, Jupiter, and Mercury will align spectacularly within a 93 degree sector in the sky. This congregation will be visible an hour before sunrise.

“Most significant celestial event this month would be the June solstice which marks the transition of the sun’s position from the topmost to west marking the monsoons. June 21, the summer solstice will also be marked as the longest day of the year,” says Raghunandan.

The very next day on June 22, we can spot Mars with the help of the moon as a non-twinkling bright object in the sky around 7.39 pm IST. The visibility is a little fainter but fortunately is still observable to the naked eye.

Nithya Shree Sangameshwar