THE SOLAR SYSTEM IN JUNE 2020
Dates and times shown are NZST (UT + 12 hours). Rise and Set times are for Wellington. They will vary by a few minutes elsewhere in NZ. Data is adapted from that shown by GUIDE 9.1
The southern mid-winter solstice is on June 21 at 9am NZST.
On the morning of the 6th the start of a partial penumbral eclipse of the moon is visible from NZ. The moon will be very low and set shortly after mid eclipse. Little change in the moon's brightness will be evident. The whole event is "visible" from Australia.
An annular eclipse of the Sun occurs on the 21st. No part of the event will be visible from NZ.
THE SUN and PLANETS in June 2020, Rise & Set Mag. & Cons.
June 1 NZST June 30 NZST
Mag Cons Rise Set Mag Cons Rise Set
SUN -26.7 Tau 7.34am 5.02pm -26.7 Gem 7.45am 5.04pm
Merc 0.2 Gem 9.31am 6.27pm 5.7 Gem 7.35am 5.25pm
Venus -4.2 Tau 8.02am 5.10pm -4.7 Tau 5.00am 3.04pm
Mars 0.0 Aqr 12.03am 1.15pm -0.5 Psc 11.41pm 12.07pm
Jup -2.6 Sgr 8.10pm 10.57am -2.7 Sgr 6.02pm 8.54am
Sat 0.4 Cap 8.34pm 11.13am 0.2 Cap 6.33pm 9.14am
Uran 5.9 Ari 4.48am 3.17pm 5.8 Ari 3.00am 1.26pm
Nep 7.9 Aqr 12.45am 1.26pm 7.9 Aqr 10.51pm 11.32am
Pluto 14.5 Sgr 7.57pm 10.54am 14.5 Sgr 6.00pm 8.58am
June 1 NZST June 30 NZST
Twilights morning evening morning evening
Civil: start 7.06am, end 5.31pm start 7.16am, end 5.33pm
Nautical: start 6.32am, end 6.05pm start 6.42am, end 6.08pm
Astro: start 5.58am, end 6.39pm start 6.08am, end 6.41pm
June PHASES OF THE MOON, times NZ & UT
Full Moon: June 6 at 7.12am (Jun 5 19:12 UT)
Last quarter: June 13 at 6.24pm (06:24 UT)
New Moon: June 21 at 6.42pm (06:42 UT)
First quarter: June 28 at 8.16pm (08:16 UT)
PLANETS in JUNE 2020
MERCURY is an evening planet setting 80 to 90 minutes after the Sun during the first half of June. On the 20th it is stationary after which the planet quite rapidly moves back towards the Sun during the rest of the month. It also becomes much fainter and will be completely lost to view towards the end of the month.
VENUS is at inferior conjunction, between Earth and Sun, on June 4 so is too close to the Sun for observation early in June. After conjunction it becomes a morning object. By mid June, Venus will rise 90 minutes before the Sun. It will be a prominent morning object for the rest of June.
MARS rises close to midnight all month so is essentially a morning object. It moves from Aquarius to Pisces on the 24th. On the morning of June 13 the moon, just before last quarter, will be about 5° above Mars. The following morning Mars will be less than 2° from Neptune.
JUPITER and SATURN remain a pair during June with Jupiter leading Saturn by about 5° early in the month. They are becoming well placed for viewing in the late evening sky. During June the planets are retrograding, the faster movement of Jupiter takes it further ahead of Saturn. Their separation will increase by about a degree.
PLUTO will be near Jupiter all month. Jupiter moves past Pluto at the end of June. They are closest on the 30th, less than a degree apart.
URANUS moves further up into the morning sky during June.
NEPTUNE rises before midnight in June. It will be less than 2° from Mars on the morning of June 14. Neptune will be to the lower left of Mars.
POSSIBLE BINOCULAR ASTEROIDS in JUNE
June 1 NZST June 30 NZST
Mag Cons transit Mag Cons transit
(1) Ceres 9.0 Aqr .6.37am 8.6 Aqr 4.59am
(4) Vesta 8.4 Ori 1.37pm 8.2 Gem 12.37pm
(7) Iris 9.6 Sgr 2.33am 8.9 Sgr 12.11am
POSSIBLE BINOCULAR ASTEROIDS in JUNE
June 1 NZST June 30 NZST
Mag Cons transit Mag Cons transit
(1) Ceres 9.0 Aqr .6.37am 8.6 Aqr 4.59am
(4) Vesta 8.4 Ori 1.37pm 8.2 Gem 12.37pm
(7) Iris 9.6 Sgr 2.33am 8.9 Sgr 12.11am
CERES is a morning object. Early in the month it will be between Mars and Fomalhaut. It rises at 11.30 pm on the 1st and just before 10 pm on the 30th.
VESTA, as an early evening object but difficult to observe. It will set only 10 minutes later then the Sun at the end of June.
IRIS is at opposition on June 27/28 when it will be at its brightest, magnitude 8.8
Brian Loader
