Moon and Saturn align as ‘space clouds’ shine: night sky this week

Every Monday I select North America’s celestial highlights for the coming week (which also apply to the northern mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere), but be sure to check my main feed for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy, eclipses and more.

ForbesIn photos: the full rise of the “Strawberry Moon” marks a once-in-18-year eventBy Jamie Carter

The night sky this week: June 24 to 30, 2024

Just a few days after the solstice, this week welcomes the last sunsets of 2024. A bad week for stargazing? Actually no. Of course, you’ll need to stay up until around midnight for the sky to be dark enough to see the stars, but the twilight hours will offer fabulous views of the waning gibbous moon near Saturn and Neptune, with many satellites picking up the brilliance of the sun, and even “space clouds” in the northern sky.

Here’s what to see in the night sky this week:

Tuesday June 25: launch of the Falcon Heavy rocket

Today, a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It will place the NASA/NOAA weather satellite GOES-U (soon to be called GOES-19) in a geostationary orbit 22,300 miles above the equator. In addition to providing weather forecasts for the United States, GOES-U is unique in that it has a coronagraph to image the solar corona (this is a mysteriously warmer outer atmosphere visible only from Earth during of a total solar eclipse) and thus helps solar physicists to more accurately predict the coronal mass. ejections and, therefore, the solar wind from the sun.

NASA and SpaceX are targeting a two-hour launch window opening at 5:16 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, June 25. Keep an eye on the SpaceX feed for exact times and check the SpaceX YouTube channel for a live stream.

Thursday June 27: Moon-Saturn Conjunction

In the early morning hours (rising in the east around 1 a.m.), the 68%-illuminated waning gibbous moon – closest to Earth this month – will appear very close to Saturn. Mars and Jupiter will also be visible above the east.

From eastern Australia and northeastern New Zealand, the moon will occult (eclipse) the “ringed planet” for a few hours, according to In-The-Sky.org.

Friday June 28: Last quarter of Occult Moon Neptune

This morning, it is the turn of Neptune – the eighth planet from the sun – to be visited by a 58% illuminated waning crescent moon, rising in the east around 1:00 a.m. This is a great opportunity to catch a glimpse of Neptune, usually a difficult target. -with a pair of binoculars.

From northern South America (northwest Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Venezuela), the moon will occult (eclipse) the “ringed planet” for a few hours, according to In-The-Sky.org.

Saturday June 29: Darkest summer sky

Stargazing becomes difficult with the nights now so short in the northern hemisphere. However, at least the moon is no longer an obstacle. It rises now around 1:00 a.m. No matter where you are above the equator, the half-illuminated last quarter (or third quarter) Moon will rise 50 minutes later each night.

Sunday June 30: “Asteroid Day”

Today is Asteroid Day, but I hope that doesn’t mean dangerous space rocks are Earth-bound. Later this year, the Vera Rubin Observatory will see “first light,” which will deploy a wide-angle camera to map the night sky in real time, helping to find thousands of asteroids that scientists don’t yet know about.

Naked Eye Target of the Week: Noctilucent Clouds

Dusk will dominate your stargazing, so make the most of it. At their peak in the northern twilight sky in June and July (at latitudes between 50° and 70° north and south of the equator), noctilucent or “night-shining” clouds are clouds high-altitude icy dust that forms about 50 miles/80 kilometers higher.

Best seen with the naked eye or a pair of binoculars, the delicate NLCs are visible at this time of year because they are illuminated by the sun, which sets but never dips far below the horizon.

Binocular target of the week: the large globular cluster

Conveniently placed in the night sky this month is M13, the “Great Globular Cluster of Hercules.” A spectacular sight with binoculars or a small telescope: the closest and brightest globular cluster, seen from the northern hemisphere, is about 25,000 light years away.

A globular cluster includes 10 billion-year-old stars that formed outside the Milky Way and now orbit in its halo. M13 is one of 150 we know of, but it’s one of the best to look at. Look almost at the zenith, just above, between the bright stars Vega and Arcturus.

Times and dates shown apply to mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location-specific information, check out online planetariums like SkySafari Pro And Stellarium. Check planet rise/planet set, Sunrise And rising/setting of the moon times depending on where you are.

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I wish you clear skies and wide eyes.