Astronomy News for the Month of June 2025


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For amateur radio operators and scanner enthusiasts around the world, please join the Colorado Astronomy Net on the Rocky Mountain Radio League's K1DUN repeater on 449.450 MHz or other digital and analog repeaters, Allstar nodes, Echolinks, DMR and internet links connected to the SKYHUBLINK system. The net meets on Tuesday nights at 7 P.M. Mountain Time (US) (Wednesday at 0200 GMT). Connecting to the SkyHubLink system has expanded our coverage in the U.S., Canada and internationally. All Amateur radio operators worldwide are welcome. Anyone may listen to the net. The RMRL provides a "Live Audio Feed" using Broadcastify.

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 Excerpts from JPL mission updates are provided as a public service as part
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For special JPL programs and presentations in your area visit the JPL Solar System Ambassador website.
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Rocket Report for 06/10/2025 through 06/24/2025
Courtesy of "The Rocketman" Ed W6RDZ
Updated Weekly on Tuesday evenings
prior to the Colorado Astronomy Net

In this Newsletter...


Background screen credits: NGC5775
Imaged March 21/22, 2001
using the 16" Kitt Peak Visitors Center telescope
as part of the Kitt Peak Advanced Observing Program.


"Huge Titan and its shadow transit the disk of Saturn in this 2009 Hubble Space Telescope image. Also visible transiting with its shadow is Mimas, closer to the rings; Dione and Enceladus lie above the rings at left. Such shadow transits of Titan can occur around ring-plane crossings, such as the one in 2009 and earlier this year." Astronomy Magazine, June 2025, p. 28. - NASA, ESA, AND THE HUBBLE HERITAGE TEAM (STSCI/AURA); ACKNOWLEDGMENT: M.H. WONG (STSCI/UC BERKELEY) AND C. GO (PHILIPPINES)


The Month At-A-Glance
A calendar displaying the daily astronomical events.


17 day moon

The Moon

Phases

Apogee/Perigee

Moon/Planet Pairs

For reference: The Full Moon subtends an angle of ~0.5°.

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Calendar of All Astronomical Events 2025

The Planets & Dwarf Planets

Planetary Reports generated by "TheSkyX" software. These reports provide predicted data for the planets for the first of each month for the current year. The rise and set times for the Sun and the Moon for each day of the month as well as meteor shower radiants are also included in the reports. These reports have been optimized for the Denver, Colorado location, however, the times will be approximate for other locations on Earth.

(Times are Mountain Daylight Time (MDT/MST) unless otherwise noted. Times will vary slightly depending on your location.)

Planetary Highlights for June

"The innermost planets straddle nighttime, with Mercury in the evening and the greatest western elongation of Venus in the morning. Jupiter joins Mercury in early twilight for a few evenings, both setting quickly. Distant Mars lingers with Leo after dark, as our own planet hustles along its orbit well ahead of the Red Planet. Saturn is visible in the early hours, as Neptune hangs nearby and is in conjunction with the ringed planet on the 29th. Uranus reappears in the morning sky before dawn." Astronomy Magazine, June 2025, p. 28.

Mercury

--> Sets at 8:41 p.m. on the 1st and about 10:03 p.m. by month's end. Mercury is visible about 30 minutes after sunset just above the western horizon. Mercury moves from the constellation of Taurus into Cancer shining at magnitude 0.3 on the 30th.

Venus

Rises about 3:28 a.m. on the 1st and about 2:59 a.m. by month's end. Look for Venus to the east about an hour before sunrise. Venus moves from the constellation of Pisces into Taurus shining at magnitude -4.3 on the 15th.

Earth

Summer solstice occurs at 10:42 p.m. EDT on the 20th.

Mars

Sets at 12:53 a.m. on the 1st and about 11:34 p.m. by month's end. Look for Mars to the southwest in the evening. Mars is in the constellation of Leo shining at magnitude 1.4.

Jupiter

Is in conjunction with the Sun on the 24th. Jupiter sets at 9:35 p.m. on the 1st. After conjunction, Jupiter returns to the morning sky, rising about 5:16 a.m. by month's end. Jupiter is rapidly approaching the western horizon, so get out during the first two weeks of June to catch Jupiter before it disappears. Jupiter moves from the constellation of Taurus into Gemini shining at magnitude -1.9.

Saturn

Rises at 2:28 a.m. on the 1st and about 12:33 a.m. by month's end. Look for Saturn low to the east before sunrise. Saturn is in the constellation of Pisces shining at magnitude 1.1.

Uranus

Rises at about 4:52 a.m. on the 1st and about 2:59 a.m. by month's end. Look for Uranus to the east before sunrise, very low to the horizon. Uranus is in the constellation Taurus shining at magnitude 5.8.

Neptune

Rises at 2:27 a.m. on the 1st and about 12:33 a.m. by the month's end. Look for Neptune to the east following Saturn by just a couple of minutes all month. Neptune is in the constellation of Pisces shining at magnitude 7.8.

Dwarf Planets

Ceres

Rises at 3:13 a.m. on the 1st and about 1:39 a.m. by month's end. Ceres can be spotted low to the southeast before sunrise. Ceres is in the constellation of Cetus shining at magnitude 9.2.

Pluto

Rises at 12:04 a.m. on the 1st and about 10:01 p.m. by month's end. Pluto can be spotted before sunrise to the south. Pluto is in the constellation of Capricornus shining at magnitude 15.2.

As always, good luck at spotting Neptune, Ceres and Pluto, a large telescope and dark skies will be needed.

Constellation information provided by Go Astronomy.

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Astronomical Events

Meteor Showers

  • The Arietids Meteor Showers - This is the strongest daylight meteor shower of the year. The duration extends from May 22 to July 2, with maximum activity occurring on June 8. The hourly rate is near 60 at maximum.

  • The June Lyrids - This shower is active during June 10 to 21, producing predominantly blue and white meteors at a maximum hourly rate of 8 per hour on June 15. The average magnitude of this shower is near 3, while 32% of the meteors leave trains.

  • The Zeta Perseids - This daylight shower occurs during May 20 to July 5. Maximum occurs on June 13. Radar surveys have revealed the activity of this shower to be near 40 per hour.

  • The June Boötids - This shower is currently active during June 27 to July 5 and possesses a maximum of activity that falls on the 28th... The shower is notable in that its meteors are primarily faint, with an average magnitude near 5; however, bright meteors do occur regularly. Meteor Shower Radiant Report

    For more information about Meteor Showers, visit Gary Kronk's Meteor Showers Online web page.

    Meteor Scatter (or Meteor burst communications) - "is a radio propagation mode that exploits the ionized trails of meteors during atmospheric entry to establish brief communications paths between radio stations up to 2,250 kilometres (1,400 mi) apart." Tune your shortwave or your HF amateur radio to 54.310 MHz SSB and see if you can hear any pings. Try other frequencies as well... 6m FT8 digital - 50.313 Mhz & 50.276 Mhz, JP-65 digital mode and the carrier frequencies of the lower VHF bands for TV channels 2, 3 & 4.

    Meteor Rx How-To by Terry Bullett (WØASP)

  • Comets

  • Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 is still in the constellation of Leo this month, and may glow around 11th magnitude. Look for the comet during the last 2 weeks of the month when the Moon will not interfere with observing. An 8-inch telescope or better will be needed well away from city lights to spot this elusive object.

  • For information, orbital elements and ephemerides on observable comets, visit Observable Comets.

    For more information about Comets, visit Gary Kronk's Cometography.com webpage.

  • Eclipses

    Solar Eclipses

  • No solar eclipse activity this month.

    Lunar Eclipses

  • No lunar eclipse activity this month.

  • Observational Opportunities

  • Look for Jupiter and Mars in the evening to the west.
  • Look for Pluto, Ceres, Saturn, Mercury, Venus and Neptune in the morning to the east.

  • Asteroids

    (From west to east)
    • Vesta is in the constellation of Virgo.
    • Pallas is in the constellation of Pegasus.
    • Hebe is in the constellation of Aquarius.

    • Information about the Minor Planets can be found at the Minor Planet Observer website.
    Ocultations

    IOTA Logo

  • Information on various occultations can be found by clicking the IOTA logo.

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    Member Meteor Sightings

    In this section I will post meteor, fireball, etc sightings that have been published on the American Meteor Society's web site. I want to make this an active section of the web pages and newsletter and would like to publish the links to member sightings. If you have any published sightings, please provide me with the links and I will post them here for all to enjoy.

    Event ID Date/Time Location Observer Link
    3871-2015 2015-11-13 01:55 MST CO Charles N 3871a
    3587-2015 2015-11-22 17:38 MST CO Kevin S 3587aw
    3829-2015 2015-12-05 18:06 MST CO Burness A 3829a
      986-2020 2020-02-21 22:20 MST CO Lukas S 986
    3716-2020 2020-07-24 23:22 MDT CO Lukas S 3716
    4774-2021 2021-08-13 21:57 MDT UT Lukas S 4774
    7044-2021 2021-10-28 20:37 MDT CO Burness A 249058
    6763-2022 2022-10-06 05:56 CDT OK Mike C 6763
    5300-2023 2023-09-11 22:04 MDT CO Lukas S 5300
    578-2024 2024-01-28 23:05 MST CO Lukas S 578

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