Dr. Wes Ryle
May 2026
Night Sky
May 20th: The Moon next meets up with Jupiter, visible after sunset until the pair sets a few hours later.
May 31st: This month features a second full moon, known as a "Blue Moon". While the Moon's color doesn't change, this rare occurrence results from how our calendar system and the Moon's natural cycle sync up every 2-3 years. This full moon also occurs when the Moon is near apogee, making it farther from the Earth and therefore slightly smaller in size and dimmer in brightness.
June 2026
June 5th: Venus reaches its highest altitude (27°) off the western horizon this evening. The planet will continue to brighten in the sky throughout the month as it moves toward a crescent phase..
June 9th: Venus and Jupiter meet up in the twilight skies after sunset on the western horizon, separated by only about 1.5°. Look for the twin stars of Gemini, Castor & Pollux, just to the right of the pair.
June 10th(AM): The crescent moon will appear near Saturn in the pre-dawn skies for early risers.
June 10th: Mercury reaches its highest altitude (18°) off the western horizon this evening.
June 17th (daylight): The Moon will occult the planet Venus, causing the planet to disappear from the sky for about an hour and a half between 3:33PM and 5:01PM. While this occurs during daylight, binoculars or small telescopes should be able to view the event if the skies are clear.
June 17th: The thin crescent Moon will appear near Venus and Jupiter in the low western sky shortly after sunset.
June 21st: The Summer Solstice for the northern hemisphere occurs at 4:27AM on June 21st. Both June 20th and June 21st are 14 hours, 55 minutes, and 7 seconds long. On both days, solar noon, when your shadow will be the shortest for our location, occurs at 1:39PM.
Space Exploration
June 7th: Tianwen-2 - China's mission to the near-Earth asteroid Kamo'oalewa achieves orbital insertion. Rendevous and sample collection will occur on July 4th.
TBD June: NASA's Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Explorer will have a rescue mission launched to boost the satellite's orbit and extend the spacecraft's mission.
June 3, 1965: Ed White carries out the first American space walk.
June 16, 1963: The first woman in space, Valentina Tereshkova, launches aboard the USSR's Vostok 6.
June 29, 1995: The Space Shuttle Atlantis docked with the Russian space station Mir for the first time.
Moon Phases
June 8th - 3rd Quarter
June 14th - New
June 21st - 1st Quarter
June 29th - Full (Strawberry Moon)
Planet Visibility
Mercury - Visible very low on the western horizon immediately after sunset all month, with peak visibility near the middle of the month.
Venus - Easily visible in the western sky after sunset all month, appearing highest early in the month and brightest toward the end of the month.
Mars - Rising in the eastern pre-dawn sky around 5AM early in the month and around 4AM late in the month.
Jupiter - Visible and bright early in the month, setting around midnight. By late in the month, it is lost to twilight, setting around 10:30PM late in the month.
Saturn - Visible pre-dawn, rising in the east around 3:30AM early in the month and around 2AM late in the month.
