School is out and summer is nearly here! Keep reading for all of your sky watching needs during June! Click here to view or print out your own star map of the night sky from the Astronomical League.

June Moon Phases

This month, the Full Moon lands on June 21, one day after the summer solstice. June’s Full Moon is also called the Strawberry Moon, as these familiar red berries are ripe for gathering during late spring.

Summer Solstice!

Speaking of the solstice, this year’s summer solstice occurs on June 20, 2024. During summer, Earth’s northern axis is tilted towards the Sun, giving those of us in the Northern Hemisphere longer daylight hours and more direct sunlight.

June Stargazing

There are many bright asterisms and easy celestial shapes to look for in the evening sky during June. There are no planets that are visible this month during the evening hours, so backyards stargazers are left to try to identify our constellations and asterisms.

Leo the Lion dominates the southwestern sky at the mid-latitudes. Look for “The Sickle” with the bright star Regulus to make the head of the lion. Due south, find the Big Dipper overhead. Using the BIg Dipper’s handle, arc to the bright star Arcturus and speed further south to Spica. Arcturus and Spica are two easy stars to spot in the evening sky,