Strawberry Moon to Butterfly stars: 9 astronomical events you shouldn't miss out on in June 2025
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Every month, some stunning visuals grace the skies and in June, these are the 9 astronomical events that you should definitely not miss out on.
June 1: Catch a sight of Venus
Image credits: X/@MAstronomers
On June 1st, Venus will reach its farthest distance west of the sun from the point of view of the Earth and this point is known as the greatest western elongation. This is the perfect time to get a glimpse at the planet away from sunlight before dawn when it rises in the eastern sky in the Northern Hemisphere and northeastern sky in the Southern Hemisphere.
June 2: The Great Hercules Cluster
Image credits: X/@BigKahunaRon
Globular clusters are densely packed clusters of hundreds of thousands of stars held together by gravity. On June 2nd, The Great Hercules Cluster or Messier 13 will reach its highest point in the night sky thus being perfect for viewing with the help of binoculars. Discovered in 1714 by English astronomer Edmond Halley, the one after whom Halley's comet has been named, this cluster has more than 100,000 stars in a spheroidal shape.
June 7: Arietid meteor shower
Image credits: X/@Tex369X
Unlike other meteor showers that mostly happen at night, the Arietid meteor shower happens during daytime. This means most meteors are nearly impossible to see but if you get up in the pre-dawn hours on June 7, you might be able to see coloured dots in the sky.
June 11: Strawberry moon
Image credits: X/@dafaqzoey
Seems impossible right? But yes, June's full moon, known as the "strawberry moon" will be visible on June 11. While the moon will not have the red colour, its name is derived from the Indigenous traditions in North America that link full moons to harvesting and hunting traditions.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Additionally, June is known for the ripening of wild strawberries too.
June 16: Butterfly cluster
Image credits: X/@maiz_julio
The star Regulus which is known for its colourful twinkling will have a close encounter with Mars on June 16 just 90 minutes before sunset. Later around midnight, a globular cluster in the shape of a butterfly will be visible with the help of binoculars.
June 22: Nebula
Image credits: X/@maiz_julio
In June, you can also catch a sight of the Lagoon Nebula or Messier 8 which is a swirling cloud of interstellar gas where stars are born.
It will reach its peak in the sky on June 22 and while people in the mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere can see with the naked eye, others can make use of binoculars or telescopes.
June 25: Stargaze
Image credits: X/@uhd2020
On June 25, there's a new moon lunar cycle which means the sky will be dark enough for stargazing with your loved one. This is the perfect time to aim for the bigger beauties like the Milky Way.
June 27: Bootid meteor shower
Image credits: X/@wqed
In case morning meteor showers are not your thing and the beauty of the night sky enchants you like no other, wait for the Bootid meteor shower which is known for its display of hundreds of shooting stars.
June 30: Moon meets Mars
Image credits: X/@StarWalk
On June 30th, the waxing crescent moon and Mars will pass within 1°16' of each other. The distance between them is just that of a pinky finger and thus you'll be able to see them together with a pair of binoculars. Also, watch out for the "earthshine" phenomenon where light reflected from Earth makes the unlit part of the moon glow faintly just after sunset or right before sunshine.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Time of India
29k Trichy students to be trained to improve reading, maths skills
Trichy: As many as 29,806 students from Class VI to IX in govt schools in Trichy district have been selected for special training in Tamil, English and mathematics subjects under the state govt's Thiran initiative. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now According to officials, the students were selected based on the exams conducted across 432 govt schools in the district on July 8 and 9. Of the 53,860 students appeared in the exam, those who scored below 16 out of 20 marks were selected for the training. A separate module has been prepared in each school for these students. In the first phase which started on Aug 1 and will continue for 30 working days, separate sessions are being conducted in each subject for 90 minutes with weekly aptitude tests. In the second phase, spread over 20 weeks, each subject will be taught for 45 minutes per week, followed by a state-level exam in Feb. "The first phase is to develop students' basic understanding of subjects while the second phase is to improve their grading outcomes," said L Sivakumaran, the district co-ordinator for the initiative. While introducing the initiative in the assembly, school education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi had said, "The programme is aimed at helping students who struggle to read basic Tamil and English contents or lack fundamental mathematical skills. Teachers have been instructed to closely monitor students' progress through regular tests to ensure improvement."
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Indian Express
How scientists built a password-protected mind-reading brain implant
Scientists have developed a brain-computer interface (BCI) — a device that allows the human brain to communicate with external software or hardware — which works only when the user thinks of a preset password. The findings were detailed in a study, 'Inner speech in motor cortex and implications for speech neuroprostheses', published in the journal Cell on August 14. The new system was developed by researchers based at Stanford University (the United States). Here is a look at how scientists built a password-protected BCI. But first, why are brain-computer interfaces significant? BCIs allow the user to control an application or a device using only their mind. Usually, when someone wants to interact with an application — let's say, they want to switch on a lamp — they first have to decide what they want to do, then they coordinate and use the muscles in their arms, legs or feet to perform the action — like pressing the lamp's on/off switch with their fingers. Then, the device — in this case, the lamp — responds to the action. What BCIs do is help skip the second step of coordinating and using the muscles to perform an action. Instead, they use a computer to identify the desired action and then control the device directly. This is the reason why BCIs have emerged as promising tools for people with severe physical disabilities. They are also being used to restore speech in people who have limited reliable control over their muscles. How was a password-protected BCI developed? The researchers involved in the study focused on 'internal-speech' BCIs, which translate brain signals into text or audio. While these types of devices do not require users to speak out loud, there is always a risk that they could accidentally decode sentences users never intended to say. To resolve this issue, the researchers first 'analysed brain signals collected by microelectrodes placed in the motor cortex — the region involved in voluntary movements — of four participants,' according to a report by the journal Nature. All of these participants had trouble speaking and were asked to either try to say a set of words or imagine saying them. The researchers then analysed the recordings of participants' brain activity. This helped them discover that attempted and internal speech originated in the same brain region and generated similar neural signals, but those associated with internal speech were weaker. This data was used to train artificial intelligence models, which helped BCIs to interpret sentences imagined by the participants after they were asked to think of specific phrases. The devices correctly interpreted 74% of the imagined sentences. To ensure that the BCIs do not decode sentences that users do not intend to utter, the researchers added a password to the system, allowing users to control when decoding began. 'When a participant imagined the password 'Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang' (the name of an English-language children's novel), the BCI recognised it with an accuracy of more than 98%,' the Nature report said. (With inputs from Nature)
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Nisar unfurls antenna reflector in orbit
Nisar team members at JPL, along with colleagues at ISRO facilities in India. Depicted on the screen at right, the reflector unfurled from 2 feet across in its stowed configuration to its full size, 39 feet, in 37 minutes. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech) BENGALURU: A major milestone has been achieved in orbit for Nisar, the joint Earth-observing satellite mission from Nasa and Isro, as its massive radar antenna reflector was successfully deployed, Nasa's Jet Propulsion System (JPL) has confirmed. Spanning 12 meters in diameter, the drum-shaped antenna reflector is a critical piece of science hardware for the Nisar mission. Designed to capture precise measurements of Earth's changing surface, the reflector had been tightly stowed since launch on July 30 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. Its successful deployment marks a turning point as the mission prepares to begin full-scale science operations later this year. Mounted at the end of a 9-meter boom, the reflector began its complex unfolding process on Aug 9, JPL, which is leading the Nisar project from Nasa's side, said, adding that over four days, the boom extended joint by joint. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Secure Your Child's Future with Strong English Fluency Planet Spark Learn More 'Then, on Aug 15, small explosive bolts that held the reflector assembly in place were fired, enabling the antenna to begin a process called the 'bloom' — its unfurling by the release of tension stored in its flexible frame while stowed like an umbrella. Subsequent activation of motors and cables then pulled the antenna into its final, locked position,' JPL said. Nisar project manager at JPL Phil Barela said this was the largest antenna reflector ever deployed for a Nasa mission. '...It's a critical component, and seeing it successfully bloom in space is the result of years of design, testing, and collaboration,' Barela added. Weighing around 64 kilograms, the reflector consists of 123 composite struts and a gold-plated wire mesh. Its large surface area enables the satellite's dual radar systems, Nasa's L-band and Isro's S-band synthetic aperture radars, to scan Earth's surface with exceptional detail. These radar systems allow Nisar to detect changes as small as a few centimeters, even through clouds, vegetation, and darkness. 'Nisar is poised to gather data that will help us understand Earth's dynamic systems like never before. This mission will empower communities and decision-makers with the science they need to improve infrastructure, respond to natural disasters, and strengthen food and water security,' Karen St. Germain, director of Nasa's Earth Science Division, said. One of the satellite's core capabilities is interferometric SAR imaging, which compares radar images taken over time to track subtle shifts on the ground. This technology will be used to monitor glacial movement, earthquake fault zones, volcanic deformation, and even ecosystem changes in wetlands and forests. 'Synthetic aperture radar works like a camera lens, focusing signals to create sharp images. With SAR, we can generate 3D movies that show how Earth's surface is changing — data that would be impossible to gather with traditional radars,' explained Paul Rosen, Nisar's project scientist at JPL. Nisar builds on a legacy of radar development at JPL, tracing back to missions like Seasat in 1978 and Magellan, which mapped Venus in the 1990s. 'With its antenna now deployed and systems undergoing final calibrations, Nisar is set to begin delivering science data by late fall,' JPL said.
