THE SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM
70 Falmouth Street Portland, Maine 04103
(207) 780-4249 www.usm.maine.edu/southworth-planetarium
43.67° N 70.27° W
Founded January 1970
2022-2023: C
Sunrise: 5:00 a.m.
Sunset: 8:21 p.m.
Civil twilight begins: 4:24 a.m.
Civil twilight ends: 8:56 p.m.
Sun's host constellation: Taurus the Bull
Lunar phase: Waning gibbous (75% illuminated)
Moon rise: 12:43 a.m. (6/9/2023)
Moon set: 10:57 a.m. (6/9/2023)
Julian date: 2460104.29
“Believe in your infinite potential. Your only limitations are those you set upon yourself.”
― Roy T. BennettTHE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Thursday, June 8, 2023
June 2023 Night Sky Calendar Part III: Stars
A FRAGMENT OF THE ZODIAC
Whenever one ventures outside to observe the night sky, one can see a fragment of the zodiac extending from somewhere along the eastern horizon to somewhere along the western horizon. The positions change throughout the night. The Zodiac refers to the thirteen constellations through which the Sun appears to move throughout the year as a consequence of Earth's revolutionary motion around the Sun. Even if we didn't enjoy the benefit of clocks, calendars and the wide assortment of hyper-intelligent phones that will tell us the time, date, weather and all the ways that hyperbolic geometry deviates from Euclidean flat-space, we could still keep track of time simply by watching the sky and noting its changes.
For instance, the Sun is currently 'moving through' Taurus the Bull. Consequently, we won't be able to observe this ferocious beast until it returns to the early morning sky in August. However, we can still see the adjacent zodiac constellation Gemini the Twins, which begins the night low in western sky.
[image credit: Sky and Telescope]
The Sun appears to pass through Gemini from June 22 - July 20th. Within the next week, the westernmost stars, such as Eta, Mu and Gamma Geminorum will vanish into the dusk. The easternmost Gemini stars Castor and Pollux will follow soon thereafter. Gemini will emerge into the pre-dawn sky by early September.
Just east of Gemini one finds Cancer the Crab, the one zodiac constellation that certainly doesn't resemble its namesake.
[Image credit: Earthsky.org]
Associated with the crab that Heracles squashed with his heel while the latter was fighting Hydra, Cancer marks the Sun's position during late July to early August. Praesepe, or the Beehive Star Cluster, marks the Sun's precise position on August 1st. Cancer dissolves into the dusk by mid July, only to return to the pre-dawn sky in late September.
Cancer leads us naturally to Leo the Lion, another animal that Heracles slew during the performance of his twelve labors. Unlike its western neighbor Cancer, Leo does bear a resemblance to the creature it is supposed to represent.
[Image credit: Earthsky.org]
When observing this constellation one can almost see the resting lion. Its sickle represents its head and mane while the triangle forms its hindquarters. The Sun appears to travel through Leo between mid August and mid September. Leo's sickle will vanish by early August and its tail follows within a week. The lion is destined to return to the pre-dawn eastern sky by late October.
Finally we can see Virgo the maiden over in the eastern sky. Identified with Persphone, the beautiful daughter of Demeter, goddess of the harvest, Virgo is the longest of all the zodiac constellations. The Sun passes through Virgo from mid September to the end of October. Virgo is out of sight throughout November and slowly ascends into the pre-dawn sky by mid to late December.
[Image credit: Opticsmag.com]
To subscribe or unsubscribe from the Daily Astronomer: