June, Mid-Northern Latitudes (June 15th, 10:30 p.m. local time)

Western Horizon
Eastern Horizon

West

We are in June, as the summer solstice is occurring this month! Hence we are seeing a sky which is transitioning from spring to summer! Let's turn West! The great winter sky has definitively shifted under the horizon. Cancer, the Crab, is much low now as the long chain of Hydra, the Hydra is lower still, with Sextans, the Sextant, Crater, the Cup, and Corvus, the Crow anchored along, stretching from due West to South. The faint Lynx, the Lynx is northwest. Leo, the Lion, still high, is a fine sight, with Regulus, Leo's Sickle, and Denebola. The Lion is figuring well the animal it's supposed to figure, that is a crouched lion. It's still a good time for the deep sky galaxy fields of Coma Berenices and Virgo, as Ursa Major, the Great Bear, high, northwest, allow for a thorougfull exploration of some of its parts. Leo Minor, the Little Lion, is lying between Ursa Major and Leo, the Lion. South, on the other hand, the two bright stars there, are Arcturus -near the zenith, and Spica. Those allow to check the famed astronomical saying 'Arc to Arcturus, speed on to Spica,' meaning that when one follows the arc of the Great Dipper's handle, one finds, first, Arcturus, of Bootes, the Herdsman, then Spica, of Virgo, the Virgin. to a printer-friendly chart

East

Let's turn East! As Libra, the Scales, is a fine show, southeast, scorpius, the Scorpion, is rising. A fine show! With Antares, that bright star and an arc of stars ahead of it! Some more left, Ophiuchus, the Serpent Holder, is now high and worth the exploration. Ophiuchus is the Greek god of medicine, Asclepios, who was put into the sky, with his two serpents, his herb finders! Hercules, the Heroe, on the other hand, is now much high, providing a fine access to M13, this fine, binocular-object, globular cluster. The major sight, East, is the Summer Triangle, which is rising. The Summer Triangle is that distinctive feature of the summer sky, just like the great winter sky is of the winter one. The Summer Triangle, like the name, is a triangle, composed by three bright stars, those bright, main stars, of the constellations Lyra, the Lyra, Cygnus, the Swan, and Aquila, the Eagle. Those stars being: Vega, Deneb, and Altair, respectively. As, in June, Altair is still low, due East, Deneb is to its upper left, as Vega higher still. A fine sight, as the small quadrilateral of the constellation Lyra, the Lyra or the cross-shaped constellation of Cygnus, the Swan are already well seen. Cepheus, Cepheus, is now northeast, as, on the northern horizon, you'll be able do catch how Cassiopeia, the Queen is ending its passage over the horizon. Cassiopeia is a circumpolar constellation, which means, that due to its declination, it never -like some other constellations- descend under the horizon. Cassiopeia is now W-shaped. The faint Camelopardalis, the Giraffe, is to its left. to a printer-friendly chart