Scots can spot 'galaxy in all its glory' as Milky Way comes into view this month
Getting out under the Milky Way in June is a truly remarkable way for Scots to connect with the cosmos
Scotland is a particularly lucky country when it comes to sky gazing. Between our beautiful beaches which provide the UK's best star gazing spots, to the Northern Lights which often come into view in the Highlands, we are spoiled.
May was an eventful month when it came to astronomy in Scotland, from a once-a-year- meteor shower to a "super rare naked eye star explosion" that, once seen, would disappear for 80 years. There was certainly a lot happening.
And June is no different. In fact, Scots should get ready to witness "our home galaxy in all of its glory" as the Milky Way comes into view this month. Excitingly, NASA has revealed exactly how and when best to catch a glimpse of it.
June means that Milky Way "Core Season" is here, according to the space agency.
This is the time of year when the Milky Way is visible as a faint band of hazy light arching across the sky all night.
"Our own galaxy, the Milky Way, appears as a band of faint light across the night sky in dark locations away from bright city lights," a NASA spokesperson described.
"Our solar system lies within the disk of the Milky Way, so we are looking at it edge on... Our nearest large neighbour, the Andromeda galaxy, appears as a faint, fuzzy patch of light in Northern Hemisphere skies."
Wondering how to see it?
"You just need to be under dark skies away from bright city lights to see it," the spokesperson went on. "What you're looking at is the bright central core of our home galaxy, seen edge-on, from our position within the galaxy's disk.
"Long-exposure photos make the Milky Way's bright stars and dark dust clouds even clearer.
"And while our eyes see it in visible light, NASA telescopes observe the galaxy across the spectrum — peering through dust to help us better understand our origins.
"However you observe it, getting out under the Milky Way in June is a truly remarkable way to connect with the cosmos."
Elsewhere, the month of June will be a great one for observing different planets as they cascade across our solar system.
Find Saturn and Venus in the eastern sky during the couple of hours before dawn each morning throughout the month. Saturn rapidly climbs higher in the sky each day as the month goes on.
You'll find the third quarter moon next to Saturn on the 19th, and a crescent moon next to Venus on the 22nd.
Mercury pops up toward the end of the month. Look for it quite low in the west, just as the glow of sunset is fading. It's highest and most visible on the 27th.
Mars is still visible in the couple of hours after sunset toward the west, though it's noticeably fainter than it was in early May.
What's more, over several days in mid-June, Mars passes quite close to Regulus, the bright star at the heart of the constellation Leo, the lion.
Have a peek on the 16th and 17th with binoculars or a small telescope to see them as close as the width of the full moon.
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