Weather Wednesday: What is in the sky this month?
Whether you are an avid stargazer or just enjoy laying in the grass on a summer night to look at what the night sky, the month of June has a lot to offer you. Everything from the moon, to planets and even a chance to see some shooting stars, lets take a closer look at what the night sky has to offer this month.
The Moon
New moon: June 25
First quarter: June 3
Full Moon: June 11
Full moon name: Strawberry Moon
Last quarter: June 18
Some of the best stargazing opportunities will be when the moon at the new moon phase because the moon is aligned with the sun and isn't visible to us in the Norhtern Hemisphere. This time is considered the best because it offers the darkest sky, free from the bright moonlight.
The full moon this month will take place on June 11, however the best time to see it will be on June 10 as the sun goes down. Now the name, Strawberry Moon comes from fruit rather than color. According to the Farmer's Almanac, early farmers and Indigenous people started to notice that the full moon in June often coincided with the start of wild strawberry harvesting season. In Europe, June's full moon has been called the Rose Moon and the Honey Moon linking it with the colors of summer evenings.
The neat thing about this month's moon is that it will be one of the lowest hanging moon of the year. Meaning that it will never get too far above the southern horizon. A full moon is opposite the sun, so it mirrors it meaning that as the sun sets the moon often rises! Because the moon is so close to the horizon our brain will play a trick on us making us think it is larger because of the horizon.
Meteor Showers: The only good meteor shower in June is the Daytime Arietids, peaking on June 7. If you are up bright and early you could see about 30 or so shooting stars per hour. Yes, there is another meteor shower called the June Bootid meteor shower however this one is unpredictable and doesn't offer as many shooting stars.
Planets:
Planets that will be visible in the morning hours include Venus, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, all mainly in the eastern sky. You may need binoculars or even a telescope to view Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
Planets that will be visible in the evening and mainly in the western part of the sky include Mercury, Mars and Jupiter. Unfortunately, the gas giant with the big red spot will be a little harder to see but still visible in the western sky
Constellations:
Other Events:
On June 21st we enter the Summer Solstice or the longest day of the year for the northern hemisphere. On this day, the Earth's Northern Hemisphere will be tilted closest to the sun and will experience the longest day and shortest night.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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