The starry sky in June 2024
Due to the short nights, the observatory will remain closed at night in June. However, a few Sundays are planned on which the observatory will open between 14:00 and 16:00 for solar observation. The dates cannot be planned in advance due to the weather. The times will be announced via a ticker on our main page.
SUN AND MOON
The longest day of the year 2024 occurs on June 20. At 20:51, the sun reaches its greatest northern latitude due to the tilt of the earth's axis by 23.45 degrees. At 13:32 on this day, the sun will be an impressive 64.18 degrees above the horizon in Zweibrücken.
Provided the weather gods are on our side, we can look forward to long, bright days and, due to the full moon on June 22, brighter nights. However, the full moon in summer is not quite as bright as in winter. The maximum altitude on this night is only 11.5 degrees.
PLANETS
The end of the period of planetary poverty is gradually approaching. But a little patience is still required.
Mercury and Venus are in upper conjunction to the Sun on June 14 and June 4.
In the second half of the night Mars and Saturn in the sky. Mars is only 5 arc seconds in diameter and not a worthwhile telescopic object. Saturn rises on the 15th at 1:40 am.
The giant planet appears from the middle of the month Jupiter also in the second half of the night over the south-eastern horizon. On the 15th of the month, it rises at 4:14 am.
Uranus was in conjunction with the Sun in the middle of the previous month and cannot be observed.
Neptune is not yet a worthwhile object in the night sky.
Note: Upper conjunction means that one - or both - of the two inner planets are behind the Sun as seen from Earth, usually slightly above or below it. Lower conjunction means that Mercury or Venus are in front of the sun. Here, too, they are usually slightly above or below the sun.
In contrast to the inner planets, there is no upper or lower conjunction for the outer planets. Here only the term Conjunction used for the position behind the sun. One Opposition can also only occur with the outer planets. The planet, the earth and the sun are roughly in line, so the planet can be observed throughout the night and reaches the smallest distance from the earth.
STARRY SKY
In the East the summer constellations have already risen. Among them are the Swan with the star Deneb, the Eagle with the main star Atair, which is still close to the horizon, and Lyra with its bright star Vega, which is also the brightest star in the northern sky. This means that the summer triangle, which consists of the three stars mentioned above, is completely above the horizon, even if it is not yet too high.
Deep in the South is Scorpio with its main star Antares, which means "opposite Mars". Because of its reddish color, it has been confused with Mars, which is also reddish. According to one of the many sources of Greek mythology, the Scorpion was sent by the goddess Artemis to defeat Orion, the great sky hunter, as he had incurred the wrath of the goddess through his excessive hunting. The bright star to the west of Scorpio is Spica, the main star of Virgo.
The lion is already approaching the western horizon. Cancer is already on the verge of extinction.
High above us is home to the inconspicuous constellation of Hercules. A little further to the southwest is the equally inconspicuous constellation of the Northern Crown and Bootes, which has also been referred to as an ice cream cone due to its shape.
Low on the Northern sky is Cassiopeia, the wife of Cepheus, who can be found a little further west.
The following sky view is valid for June 1 at midnight, June 15 at 11 p.m. and June 30 at 10 p.m.
