This Months Sky

This Months Sky

The times stated should always be in ‘Universal Time’ (UT) which basically ignores the British Summer Time rule. and should therefore be one hour behind BST.

June 2025

ALL MONTH: As mentioned in May, we are now in the best months of the noctilucent cloud season (May to July) so keep an eye out after sunset to see if you can spot them.
1st Venus is a morning planet and reaches its point of greatest western elongation, it will appear separated from the Sun by 45.9°. The planet itself should be at 50% illumination but it may be a few days late of this.
2nd The red supergiant Antares should be highly visible due south just after midnight.
3rd Poniatowski’s Bull is a lesser known asterism (a V shape) that can be found off the north eastern shoulder of the constellation Ophiuchus (Serpent Bearer). The pattern is just east of south by about 40° up and to be seen just after midnight UT.
4th The Moon is displaying one of its many effects this evening this one being ‘Plato’s Hook’. It is a rim peak shadow (curved) inside the Plato crater.
5th Minor planet ‘5 Astraea’ reaches opposition when it can be seen mimicking a +10.6 star among the Ophiuchus constellation.
10th Over tonight and into tomorrow the Moon is at its lowest position on the southern horizon. Also known as a ‘major lunar standstill’ this event happens every 18.6 years of the lunar cycle. The effect to the observer is that the Moon looks much bigger than normal but of course it is just an illusion.
15th Owing to the effect of the lunar libration, the sea ‘Mare Orientale’ will be more visible tonight.
16th Approaching midnight, Mars at mag. +1.4 will sit 0.8° north of the bright star Regulus (mag. +1.3).
19th The planet Saturn will sit 2.0° south of the last quarter Moon with Neptune placed between them at 1.3° south-west of the Moons centre.
21st Today, in the northern hemisphere, is the Summer Solstice when the Sun reaches its most northerly point in the sky, in the southern hemisphere this is known as the Winter Solstice.
22nd At around 2am (UT) in the morning there will be a conjunction between the Moon (15% lit waxing crescent) and the planet Venus mag. -4.1 which will be low on the east-northeastern horizon.
23rd A tricky observation in the early morning but the Moon at a waning lit of 7% will just touch the southern most stars of the Pleiades open cluster, ‘tricky’ as the event is subject to the bright twilight.
27th At around 6am UT, Mercury can be seen 2.0° south of a 4& lit waxing crescent Moon. In the evening the the separation is 7.3° with the Moon lit at 7%, they will be low on the west=northwest horizon.
29th Just after sunset in the western sky, look out for Mars mag. +1.5, 2° east of the Moon. The star Regulas, mag +1.3, will be 5.1° west-northwest of the Moon at this time.
30th Another tricky observation at around 01:00am UT will be Saturn mag +0.7 and Neptune mag. +7.9 as they will be less than a degree apart and about 10° above the east-southeastern horizon.

May 2025

1st With the coming of summer, this month will be the last to be able to get dark skies until Autumn time. Look out for globular clusters such as M13 in Hercules.
2nd Minor planet 4 Vesta reaches opposition at mag. +5.7 and is to be seen among the northern stars of the constellation Libra.
4th Mars appears at 1.1 degree south of the 44% waxing crescent Moon in the early hours whilst also sitting at 0.8 degrees north-west of the centre of the Beehive cluster, M44.
5th The clair-obscur effects on the Moons surface may be seen after midnight, namely the Luna X and V objects. At around 18:00 hours UT, the star Regulus is shining at mag +1.3 south of the 62% lit Moon, might be possible to see it in the end of day light.
6th The annual Eta Aquariid meteor shower peaks this evening with a max ZHR (Zenithal Hourly Rate) of 40 but the radiant of the shower is low on our horizon at dawn and so harder to spot.
7th Another clair-obscur effect may just be viewable on a 79% lit Moon on the Eastern Horizon in daylight conditions, it is the Jewelled Handle.
10th The morning Venus shows its glorious crescent phase at 35% lit and 31 arcseconds across; by the end of the month it will be 49% lit and a diameter of 24 arcseconds
12th A full Moon tonight just before 17:00 (UT) and as it has just passed its apogee (furthest point from earth) it is known as a micro-Moon ie it is slightly smaller and fainter than normal.
14th In the early morning the Moon will be a 98% lit waning gibbous lying 0.9° south-southwest of the globular cluster M4 and 1.9° southwest of Antares at mag. +1.0.
15th Although very difficult to see there will be a shadow transit of Saturn by the Titan moon between early morning and around 14:30 (UT). The shadow should appear skirting the northern edge of the planets rings.
17th The globular cluster M5 in the constellation of Serpens Caput will be in a good viewing position above the southern horizon after midnight.
18th For the next 6 early mornings the Moons lunar libration allows favourable viewing of the ‘Mare Orientale’.
20th With the summer solstice just a month away, those of us with access to solar scopes (DAS has this) can observe the peak of the 11 year solar cycle. !! AS ALWAYS, DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN WITHOUT THE CORRECT PROTECTION !!
23rd We are now into the noctilucent cloud season for the northern hemisphere. This does not require any equipment other than your own eyes and if you can, a camera to capture it (your welcome to send photographs in to DAS)
24th Venus appears brightly this morning, 4.8° southwest of the 12% lit waning crescent Moon; they should both rise together around 03:00 (UT).
30th The lunar libration assists with the seeing of features in the eastern region of the Moon such as Mare Marginis and Mare Smythii.
31st Once again there is a hard to see Titan shadow transit, across Saturn, during the daylight hours and again it is skirting the northern edge of the planets rings.

April 2025

This link navigates the user to a third party web site for which we have been given authority to view by “Dave Eagle”. The user will need to use the calendar seen to locate the month of interest for its timeline.
Sky Diary 

17th The Moon rises below Antares, close to Tau Scorpii (occultation from Shetland early morning)
21st Mercury is at greatest elongation in the morning twilight.
22nd Lyrid meteor shower peak, favourable in the early morning
25th Crescent Moon close to Saturn with Venus above in the bright morning twilight.
28th Slim crescent Moon to the right of Uranus with the Pleiades above (bright evening twilight.
29th Venus is north of Saturn in the bright morning twilight. The crescent Moon forms triangle with the Pleiades and Aldebaran (evening twilight).
30th The crescent Moon lies close to Beta Tauri with Jupiter above right (evening).

January 2025 (scroll down the page for the previous months)

2nd The moon Ganymede is occulted by Jupiter after which Io transits the planet after which Ganymede’s shadow  appears a couple of hours later, then followed by an eclipse by Jupiter on Ganymede.
3rd As the evening twilight fades away, mag. -4.3 Venus can be seen at just under 2 degrees north-north west of a waxing crescent Moon. The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks tonight.
4th  The Earth is at perihelion today (when it is closest to the Sun) and Saturn is occulted by a waxing crescent Moon.
6th  Two clair-obscure effects to be seen on the Moons surface, these are the Lunar X and V.
7th Titan’s shadow transits Saturn just after sunset and another clair-obscure effect is seen, the Eyes of Clavius at around midnight.
9th The Moon approaches the Pleiades open cluster and will pass over some of the brighter stars early on the 10th
10th Venus reaches its greatest eastern elongation, 47.2 degree separation from the Sun
12th  Venus appears as 50% (Dichotomy) after which it will be seen as a crescent
13th Once again Ganymede will shadow transit Jupiter, to be seen 15:00
14th Mars at mag. -1.4 can be seen 10 arcminutes north of the Moons northern limb
16th Mars stil at mag. -1.4 will be at opposition
18th Venus will be shining bright at 2.2 degrees north of the dimmer Saturn
20th Ganymede is first seen transiting Jupiter in the early evening with a shadow transit over midnight
23rd  The Galilean moon Callisto is to be seen at 3 arcseconds below Jupiters southern pole in the morning
25th Owing to lunar libration the large lunar sea ‘Mare Orientale’ can be seen in better detail on the Moons surface
27th Ganymede and it shadow make 2 separate transits of Jupiter
28th As the Moon is not ‘out’ this evening and if the sky is clear, it is a good opportunity to view the Sword of Orion and the  ‘Orion Nebula’ (M42) as it sits high in the sky
31st Around midday with the right viewing conditions it may be possible to see the occultation of the moon Titan on Saturn’s northern limb. Titan will disappear behind Saturn and later reappear 

February 2025

1st Venus and Saturn are naked eye visible in the evening twilight whilst Neptune needs at least binoculars to spot it. The Moon is a 12% lit waxing crescent.
4th Ganymede can be seen transiting Jupiter after midnight.
5th The Moon is a 55% lit waxing gibbous and will sit 4.1 degree north of the planet Uranus seen at mag. +5.7.  A clair-obscur effect ‘Stars of Aristillus’ (in the crater called Aristillus) can also be seen on the lunar surface in the late evening.
6th The Moons libration effect will allow better visibility of a cluster of dark lava filled craters in the south east region for example the craters Lyot, Oken and Jeans.
7th After midnight the 69% lit waxing Moon will sit 4.8 degree north of the planet Jupiter which is at mag. -2.3.
8th Jupiters moon Callisto will sit 3 arcseconds south of the southern pole in early evening. For those keen daylight observers you might be able to catch the moon Titan transiting Saturn in the afternoon and its shadow from midday to evening time.
9th Magnitude -0.8 Mars will lie approx. 4.8 arcminutes south of the Moons southern edge in the early evening.
10th The planet Venus will appear 30% illuminated when viewed through the eyepiece with its apparent diameter at 36 arcseconds.
12th The minor planet 29 Amphitrite reaches opposition today.
13th After midnight, mag. +1.3 Regulus (Alpha Leonis) sits 1.2 degree south of the Moons southern edge.
14th Another clair-obscur effect on the Moon in the early hours of the morning that resembles a set of steps and known as the ‘Zeno Steps’, as it appears in the 65km crater called Zeno.
17th A 25% illuminated Venus is to be seen this evening through the eyepiece with an apparent diameter of 40 arcseconds.
20th With the hope of a clear evening, the Beehive Cluster (M44) should be visible as the Moon will not be seen this evening. Binoculars as a minimum will be required.
22nd The planet Venus will appear at 20% illumination as a stunning crescent with an apparent diameter of 44 arcseconds.
24th There is another Titan shadow crossing over the Saturn surface that starts just after midday and the shadow can be seen into mid evening.
25th The moon Ganymede transits Jupiter during the evening with the moon Europa keeping up with it and then its shadow is seen later whilst another moon, Io, undergoes an occultation.
27th Venus this evening is seen as 15% illuminated with an apparent diameter of 47 arcseconds.
28th Spotting a thin Moon, at less than 1% lit waving crescent, may be possible 50 minutes after the Sun has set.

March 2025

1st This and tomorrow evening, the waxing crescent Moon and Venus are close together and provide a brilliant sight in clear skies after sunset.
4th The Galilean moons of Jupiter, Ganymede and Europa, will cast a double shadow on the planets surface in the early hours of the 5th
5th Jupiter’s moon Callisto will sit at 1 arcsecond north of Jupiter’s northern limb in the early evening whilst Venus is at a 10% phase and appears as 52 arcseconds across.
6th In the early morning, the 42% lit waxing Crescent Moon and Jupiter are approaching on the north west horizon. Later in the day, after sunset the first quarter Moon can be seen close to Jupiter
8th Mercury reaches its greatest eastern elongation at 18.2 degrees from the Sun in the evening sky. The Moon will at a 70% lit waxing gibbous phase by 14:00 UT. The clair-obscur effect ‘The Jewelled Handle’ should also be visible.
9th In the early hours of the morning, Mars will appear very close to a 74% lit waxing gibbous Moon. At 01:48 UT, Mars will be lit at a magnitude of -0.1 and placed at 55 arcseconds south of the Moons centre.
11th The inferior planet Venus now has a phase of 5% with its stunning crescent appearing at 56 arcseconds across. The Galilean moon Ganymede will transit across Jupiter before midnight.
12th For those of us interested in minor planets, ‘8 Flora’ reaches opposition today.
13th Magnitude -4.2 Venus and +1.0 Mercury appear to be separated by 5.6 degrees as seen low on the western horizon after sunset.
14th A total lunar eclipse is to be seen around 03:57 UT and ending after the Moon sets. Totality occurs just before moonset.
18th One of the Moons many valleys, Vallis Capella, should be worth a good look over the next few days.
20th With the Sun crossing the earth’s celestial equator at 09:01 UT today, this marks the northern hemispheres Sprint Equinox whilst in the southern hemisphere this is the Autumn Equinox.
23rd Venus reaches inferior conjunction today with a pass of 8.4 degrees from the centre of the Sun’s disc. TAKE PRECAUTIONS WHEN LOOKING AT THE SUN!
24th The Moons librations favours features as seen on the south west side, an area known for the Mare Orientale aka ‘The Eastern Sea’.
25th There is no Moon this evening to wash light across the sky, a good time for deep sky observations.
29th A partial eclipse of the Sun is visible from around 10:00 UT, TAKE PRECAUTIONS WHEN LOOKING AT THE SUN!
30th Today marks the Daylight Saving change from 01:00 UT, clocks should be advanced one hour to become 02:00 UT

Source: Unless specified otherwise the above detail is taken from the BBC Sky At Night magazine for that month, the exact timings have been left out to encourage members to seek out the data for themselves. Author: Brian Shepherd