The night sky is serving up a special treat just in time for the summer solstice.
Today , not only is the sky blessing you with its longest day of the year , but it is also leaving a small extra treat for you — or , should we say , threeof them .
Just in clip for the summer solstice and first prescribed daytime of summer , the lunation , Mars , and Venuswill be in conjunctiontonight for all the stargazers located in the Northern Hemisphere . The trey will be easily seeable in the sky , and according toSpace.com , you should design to sit outside and take care up start about an hour before sundown to see the magic pass off .
You do n’t really need binoculars to touch in this stargazing sesh , but you might as well use them if you do . All you have to do is face west and look up to bump the crescent moon , which will be located around midway up in the sky . Once you ’ve found it , Venus will be just below it on the remaining — and do n’t worry , you wo n’t struggle too much to locate it , since Venus appears as a very , very vivid white Christ Within and will only be 2d to the Sun Myung Moon in price of brightness . While it will be easier with opera glasses , you should manage to see it with the au naturel heart as long as the sky is n’t too foggy .
Taro Hama @ e-kamakura/Moment/Getty Images
To find Mars , instead , you ’ll have to look about four level to Venus ' upper left . The planet will be dimmer in lightness and binoculars are boost while it ’s still bright out , but you should n’t have too many issues get it once the sky is completely sullen . And as an extra delicacy , granted that the sky ’s conditions are optimum , you might even be able-bodied to spot Regulus ( which is the bright star of Leo the Lion ) about 12 degree to the upper left of Mars .
In case you miss out on the celestial phenomenon tonight , do not chafe . From June 19 through July 10 , Mars will be in a " quasi - conjunction " with Venus , meaning they ’ll get closer and closer without ever catch up . According to Space.com , the two planets will look closest on July 1 , when they ’ll be separated only by roughly 4 degrees .
Ready to go stargazing?
Here are allthe good stargazing eventsthat you’re able to get out and see this calendar month or you could persist in andstream the northern lightsfrom home . If you ’re just getting started , chink out ourguide to uranology for beginnersoreasy stargazing road head trip from big US city .
