June 2009 Monthly Sky Guide

The parade of planets continues this month, though by mid-month Saturn is getting harder to spot. Jupiter is rising earlier but is still a good morning view. Meanwhile, Venus and Mars are getting easier to spot and Mercury makes another appearance. For a treat, look for Ceres around mid-month.

Check out this map for the month of June, or create your own customized map with our Free Sky Maps tool.

Note: This map is for a median time and location and June have slight differences from your location and viewing time. Planets and moons shown on this map will have the highest probability of appearing in different locations.

Use this handy Sky Map Symbols Key to figure out what you should be looking for.

This month, the constellation Virgo can be seen high in the sky. Let's take a closer look at Virgo.

• The Virgin
• Genitive: Virginis
• Abbreviations: Vir, Virg
• Right Ascension, (h): 13
• Declination, (deg): 0

Born around 190 BC in Nicaea, Bithynia (now known as now Iznik,Turkey), Hipparchus's life is mostly a mystery. As an astronomer, Hipparchus calculated the length of the year to within 6 1/2 minutes. While his star catalogue does not survive today, it is believed that he included around 850 stars. He also made a careful study of the motions of the moon.

Check out our Astronomical Events Calendar to learn about other happenings in space and on Earth. Here is a sampling of highlights.

• 5 - Venus At Its Greatest Western Elongation (46 Degrees)
• 5 - John Couch Adams' 190th Birthday (1819)
• 13 - Jet Propulsion Lab's 65th Birthday (1944)
• 13 - Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation
• 15 - Glory Taurus Launch
• 18 - William Lassell's 210th Birthday (1799)
• 21 - Summer Solstice, 05:45 UT
• 22 - Dwarf Planet 134340 Pluto Closest Approach To Earth (30.664 AU)
• 22 - Asteroid Vespa in Conjunction with the Sun
• 23 - Pluto At Opposition