Night Sky in June 2013- what you can see (NASA video & summary)

Butterfly Nebula: Image Credit: NASA/ESA/Hubble — Butterfly Nebula:
Image Credit: NASA/ESA/Hubble

What’s up in the stars for June 2013? Am talking about astronomy now, and what you can see (mostly with naked eye, and some with small telescopes).

Here’s a video from NASA, that explains all the special features for June 2013.

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=164055491 (you can also download this video for your own personal view, at the NASA site! How good are they!)

Summary of video

1. Mercury, Veus & Jupiter

Can be seen just after sunset, in the West-North-West sky (in the constellation of Gemini)

2. Meteor Shower

On 11th June. High in SouthEast sky around 4.30am. You can see the rare `Gamma Delphinids’ meteo shower (close to Aquila and Capricornids..is a small constellation called Delphinus).

3. Four major Asteroids

Ceres, Pallas, Vesta & Juno are the first 4 asteroids to have been discovered. All are visible this month. Ceres & Pallas near Gemini, Juno near Aquarius.

4. Asteroid 1998 QE2

This one passed by Earth not so long ago – on 31st May 2013! A medium-large telescope is needed now to see it. Look south after 9pm..in the Constellations of Libra & Ophiucus.

5. Milky Way

By the end of June, Moon is rising very late, by midnight, so that gives plenty of evening / early night time to look at the night sky..and without the bright light of gthe moon, parts of our galaxy Milk Way can be seen.. (as a fine dust of stars in bands that are obvious to miss. I saw this some years ago and was amazed!)

By the way asteroid Watch in NASA at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroidwatch/

-Mani Navasothy

ps. The Butterfly Nebula can not be seen by naked eye or normal telescopes from Earth. I was merely sharing another beautiful image from NASA 🙂

One thought on “Night Sky in June 2013- what you can see (NASA video & summary)”

Note that when a meteor shower is named after a particular constellation, the meteors appear to radiate from a point in that constellatiion but will be seen crossing the surrounding constellations. Thus the Delphinids radiant point is near Gamma Delphinus. Most meteor showers are best after midnight as then the Earrhs orbit is taking the point you are at into the oncoming particles.