Observe the sky: June 2025

June arrives, and with it the exams also come, the end of the school year, “el Corpus”, and the end of this first year of “Observe the Sky from the Science Faculty”. A year marked by the weather, as we were only able to do one observation: observing the solar eclipse (“hey, it wasn’t that bad”). On June 2nd of this month, we will carry out, if all goes well, the second successful observation, this time dedicated mainly to the Moon. But from the 2nd until the end of the month, there are many astronomical events worth highlighting! Here is a summary:

Day	Time	Event
1	04:16	Venus greatest western elongation ( 45.88°)
1	12:44	Moon in conjunction with Mars 1.28° N of Mars
3	05:45	First Quarter
7	13:24	Moon at apogee ( 405552 km)
8	22:10	Mercury in conjunction with Jupiter 1.97° N of Jupiter
11	09:48	Full Moon
18	21:22	Last Quarter
19	03:38	Moon in conjunction with Saturn 2.98° N of Saturn
21	04:28	Solstice
22	07:03	Moon in conjunction with Venus 6.78° N of Venus
22	19:43	Saturn at quadrature
23	06:01	Moon at perigee ( 363168 km)
23	10:13	Neptune at quadrature
24	17:29	Jupiter at conjunction
25	11:37	Moon in conjunction with Jupiter 5.05° N of Jupiter
25	12:35	New Moon
27	09:17	Moon in conjunction with Mercury 2.76° N of Mercury
30	03:17	Moon in conjunction with Mars 0.19° N of Mars

Table 1: Main astronomical events of the month of June. Local time.

During this month of June, to be more exact, on June 21st at 4:28 local time in Granada, we will have the Summer Solstice, summer will officially begin, although we have already had days with heat typical of the upcoming season. As you can see, the Solstice marks the moment when the Sun reaches its maximum height above the horizon, changing very little its position in the sky (considering consecutive days at the same time!). As for the Moon, we will start the month of June with a waxing crescent Moon approaching apogee, which will occur on June 7th.

Sun during June 2025. — **Figure 1:** Variation of the Sun's position during the month of June. Left: Maximum daily elevation of the Sun during the month. Right: Position in the sky if observed every day at the same time (12.00 UT). In orange the positions of the Sun throughout June; in yellow, throughout the year (analemma).

Moon during June 2025. — **Figure 2:** Observability and illumination of the Moon during the month of June 2025. In red the time zone (universal time, UT; local time = UT + 2) during which you will be able to observe the Moon. The vertical white lines indicate the time of the Moon's passage through the local meridian.

Moon during June 2025 (II). — **Figure 3:** Phases and Moon orbit during June 2025.

The planetary situation this month is relatively poor. We would highlight observing Mars during the first half of the night, but I warn you that to properly observe Mars you need exceptional nights and high-quality equipment if we want to discern details on its surface. Fortunately, Saturn will gradually gain prominence, and will be observable during the second half of the nights in June. Unfortunately, if during 2024 Saturn showed us its rings almost edge-on, making them unobservable (remember that they are only a few hundred kilometers thick), observing Saturn’s rings in 2025 will be quite a challenge. Jupiter, which we are accustomed to tracking specially its satellites, will be in conjunction on June 24th. This means that it will be found, in projection, right behind the Sun, making its observation absolutely impossible.

Planets observability towards the beginning of June 2025 — **Figure 4:** Observability of the different planets of the Solar System from Granada in June 2025. In red, the time zone (universal time) during which you will be able to observe the different planets. The vertical white lines indicate the time of the passage of the various planets through the local meridian.

Planets observability towards the middle of June 2025 — **Figure 4:** Observability of the different planets of the Solar System from Granada in June 2025. In red, the time zone (universal time) during which you will be able to observe the different planets. The vertical white lines indicate the time of the passage of the various planets through the local meridian.

Planetary situation for the month of June 2025 in Granada. — **Figure 5:** Representation of the sky that will be observable at the end, beginning and middle of a typical June night from Granada (June 14th is chosen as representative). The positions of the planets as well as their motion relative to the fixed stellar background are indicated. For the planets with less apparent motion (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune) a zoom is included for tracking with telescopes.

But if there is something that June brings, it is the Milky Way. During the spring months, the nights are dominated by the observation of galaxies, since we are ‘looking’ in a direction perpendicular to the Galaxy’s disc. However, in June, little by little we begin to glimpse the constellations of summer. Scorpio and Sagittarius begin to appear in the southeast. Lyra and Cygnus dominate the East. And in the zenith, Ursa Major is making way for Boötes and Draco.

The sky over Granada during the month of June 2025. — **Figure 6:** Representation of the sky that will be observable on a typical June night from Granada. The ecliptic is indicated (dashed line) as well as the main deep sky objects.

But what we will be able to enjoy this June, especially during the second half of the month, is the International Space Station. In the following link you can find a table (ISS table with the main ISS passes visible from Granada during this month of June. We highlight this month the passes on June 20th, 21st, 23rd and 24th (with a magnitude close to -3.5). Unfortunately, to enjoy these passes you will have to get up early as they are visible around 4-6 in the morning (see table for more information).

And so we reach the end of June, the month that marks the arrival of heat, short nights, but in turn, pleasant nights to go out to the countryside, lie in a hammock, and enjoy the Universe that surrounds us. And we end by thanking you for your support during this first year and hoping to consolidate this activity in the coming years. Before saying goodbye, remember that we are open to suggestions on our Telegram channel, where you can also stay up to date on activities, as well as receive timely alerts of easily observable astronomical events. Here is the link! We hope to see you soon at our activities. Have a nice summer, may the exams be a complete success, and see you in September.

Clear Skies!