Experience the beauty of the summer night skies

Dear readers,

Today, I will take on a journey through the warm summer night skies, from noctilucent clouds and the Summer Triangle to the enigmatic Galactic Centre.

In my previous articles, “Let’s take a deep dive into the night sky with the Big Dipper” and “Spot the Big Dipper — and unlock the secrets of the spring sky,” published in The European Magazine, I explained how the Big Dipper can guide you in exploring the spring night sky. I shared tips on finding the brightest stars and locating the Spring Triangle.

As summer approaches, the night sky becomes a stunning display of bright stars, creating captivating constellations and asterisms. Once again, by using the Big Dipper as our starting point, we can explore the June night sky and locate the distinctive Summer Triangle. This trio of stars shines brightly and widely, resembling a giant sail leading us on our journey through outer space.

From the Summer Triangle, we can then pinpoint the super-dense and enigmatic Milky Way’s galactic centre. There, nestled within its depths, lies a supermassive black hole, an immensely powerful object millions of times the mass of our Sun that drags all cosmic matter around it.

During this time of year, as we approach the Summer Solstice on June 21, twilight lingers well into the night, making it challenging to see even the brightest stars. Therefore, it’s important to find observing sites away from light pollution and venture out after midnight for the best stargazing opportunities.

Find Vega in Lyra

To find Vega, let’s return to our great stellar signpost, The Big Dipper, now hanging bowl-down in the northwestern sky. Start by finding Mizar, the star located at the bend of the Dipper’s handle.

From Mizar, draw an imaginary steep line upwards and towards the northeast. This will lead you to glittering Vega, shining brightly in the Lyra constellation, on one of the corners of a small triangle of stars.

Vega is a white main-sequence star that is twice as massive as our Sun and 40 times more luminous. It is relatively close to Earth, located only 25 light-years away, and ranks as the fourth-brightest star in the night sky.

The Lyra constellation’s six main stars form a small rectangle and a triangle connected at one point.  These stars continuously shimmer, seemingly competing with the brilliance of Vega.

In Greek mythology, the Lyra constellation symbolises the lyre that musician Orpheus played to uplift people’s spirits.

Find Altair in Aquila

To locate Altair, face northwest and use Vega as a starting point. Next, extend an imaginary line upward and toward the east, at a slightly steep angle. You will find the next brightest star, Altair, shining above and to the right of Vega. Altair is distinctly positioned at the tail of a group of stars forming a cross shape with angled arms that seem to be soaring towards the southern sky.

Altair is a rapidly spinning white main-sequence star, twice as massive as our Sun and ten times more luminous. At only 17 light-years away, it is one of the closest bright stars to our Solar System. It ranks as the 12th brightest star in the night sky.

The Aquila constellation, also known as The Eagle, resembles a bird in mid-flight with its wings outstretched. In Greek mythology, it represents the eagle owned by Zeus, the king of the gods, which he used to punish Prometheus for giving fire to humanity without his permission. The constellation’s brightest star, Altair, marks the eagle’s head, while other stars outline its wings and body.

Find Deneb in Cygnus

To locate Deneb, face northwest and return to Vega. Next, trace a gently descending line towards the northeast until you spot the next brightest star, Deneb. It is positioned slightly below and to the right of Vega and at the tail of a group of stars forming a cross shape with elongated arms.

Deneb is a blue supergiant star, 20 times larger than the Sun. It has a luminosity nearly 200,000 times greater than our Sun, yet it is located 2,600 light-years away, making Deneb one of the most distant first-magnitude stars visible in the night sky. It ranks as the 19th brightest star in the night sky.

The Cygnus constellation is a prominent group of stars, with its main stars forming an asterism known as the Northern Cross. In mythology, Cygnus is often depicted as a swan, symbolising true friendship. Deneb is located at the tail of the swan, with its wings extending beyond the arms of the cross.

Additionally, the Cygnus constellation is home to the intriguing object known as Cygnus X-1, a double star system consisting of a supergiant star and an unseen massive companion, believed to be a black hole.

The Summer Triangle

The stars Vega, Altair and Deneb form a prominent asterism known as the Summer Triangle. These three stars stand out in the night sky due to their significant brightness compared to nearby stars, making the Summer Triangle a captivating feature during the summer months.

The stars within the Summer Triangle showcase a beautiful display of contrast and variety. Vega, the most luminous of the trio, shines with a dazzling bluish-white glow. Altair radiates a warm, crisp white light, while Deneb, the faintest of the three, presents a delicate pale blue-white light that softly lingers in the background. Together, these stars create a unique blend of colours and intensities for a memorable celestial view.

Find Antares in Scorpius

To locate Antares, first face south and locate Vega, shining brightly at one corner of the Summer Triangle. From there, draw a slightly steep line downward and to the right toward the southern horizon to spot Antares, a distinctly orange star twinkling low in the southern sky.

Flanked by stars on either side, the brighter Antares is a binary system composed of a massive red supergiant and a hot blue star located 550 light years away. It is one of the largest and most luminous stars visible to the naked eye, ranking as the 15th brightest star in the night sky. The name Antares means “rival of Mars” due to its similarity in colour to the red planet.

In Greek mythology, Scorpius symbolises the scorpion that the gods sent to kill Orion, the Hunter. After Orion recovered from the poisonous sting, Zeus, the king of the gods, placed both Orion and Scorpius in the sky but on opposite sides to prevent any further conflict.

Find Sagittarius and The Galactic Centre

To locate the teapot-shaped constellation of Sagittarius, start from Antares and extend a short line to the left. As you focus your gaze, you will notice the outline of the Sagittarius constellation, reminiscent of a whimsical teapot. Just off the spout, you’ll find the dense region of star clusters and dust clouds marking the vibrant heart of our Milky Way Galaxy.

The centre of our Milky Way galaxy is a treasure trove of fascinating interstellar objects. Although this region may look hazy to the naked eye, binoculars and telescopes reveal a captivating world filled with nebulae, complex star systems, and wispy, shimmering disks of heated gas and dust.

 

From our perspective, we are looking edge-on into the densest part of our Galaxy, 26,000 light-years away. Here, we maintain a reasonably safe distance from Sagittarius A*, a supermassive black hole with a mass 4 million times that of our Sun. This immense gravitational force at the centre of our Galaxy significantly influences the movement of stars and cosmic matter in its vicinity.

The Sagittarius constellation is also known as The Archer. In Greek mythology, it symbolises a centaur, a half-horse, half-man creature, given the task of protecting the hero Hercules from Scorpius. Sagittarius relentlessly pursues Scorpius, always prepared to attack with his arrow if it poses a threat to Hercules.

Main night sky events in June

As we approach the summer solstice on June 21, now is the ideal time to look for noctilucent clouds. These high-altitude clouds are visible only during summer nights, appearing for about a month on either side of the solstice. The Sun illuminates the clouds as it remains hidden below the northern horizon, creating stunning iridescent patterns across the dark sky. If you are fortunate enough to see the unique display of electric-blue noctilucent clouds, your late-night skywatching efforts will be well worth it.

Here is the list of more unmissable night sky events this June:

June 7 – Arietids Meteor shower. Occurring all of June, with June 7 as its peak, this meteor shower produces an average of 60 shooting stars per hour. However, because their radiant is too close to the Sun during their peak, the meteors may be challenging to see with the naked eye. Look towards the northeast horizon from 4 a.m., and you may witness these unique daylight meteor showers to the left of bright Venus.

June 11 – Full Moon. This month’s full Moon is known as the “Strawberry Moon”, a name originating from Native American traditions that link full moons to seasonal harvesting and hunting events. In June, this name reflects the ripe season for wild strawberries. You can watch the full Moon rising low on the southeastern horizon, moving toward the south after 10:30 p.m.

June 17 – Mars near Regulus. Gaze upward to the western sky after 10:30 p.m., where Mars will gleam brilliantly to the right of the twinkling star Regulus in the Leo constellation. Don’t miss the breathtaking sight of their contrasting brilliance against the darkening sky just above the horizon.

June 21 – Summer Solstice. This is the time when we find the Sun at its highest position in the sky, marking the longest day and shortest night of the year. The term “solstice” means “to stand still,” referring to the Sun’s apparent pause in its movement toward the north or south. This event marks the official start of astronomical summer and is celebrated worldwide, most notably at Stonehenge in England.

June 22 – The Moon near Venus. Gaze towards the eastern horizon after 3:30 a.m. to witness the waning crescent Moon softly glowing above the radiant brilliance of Venus. This captivating scene offers the perfect backdrop to catch a glimpse of the elusive shooting stars from the Arietids daylight meteor shower, radiating to the left of this celestial duo.

June 27 – Bootids Meteor Shower. These meteors are known for their unpredictable nature; some years, there are hundreds, while in others, only a few are visible. But as they move slowly, it makes them appear brighter and last longer in the sky. During outbursts, they can even create bright fireballs. To watch for them, look towards the western sky after midnight, to the right and above the dazzling star Arcturus in the Boötes constellation.

June 30 – The Moon near Mars. As the month comes to a close, the Moon and Mars will put on a special show. Our celestial neighbours will appear very close to each other over the western horizon after 10:00 p.m. The thin waxing crescent Moon, contrasting with the reddish hue of Mars shining to its right, will create a memorable sight that you won’t want to miss.

With careful timing, a dark sky, and a little patience, the summer night sky offers endless rewards. For those following this seasonal series, the stars of spring have now given way to summer’s rich display – from brilliant constellations and mythological shapes to the hidden heart of our galaxy itself.

Clear Skies!

And a similar version of this article has also been published in The European: What to see in the night sky this June: from the Summer Triangle to the Galactic Centre – The European Magazine