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[Energetic music]

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[Preston Dyches]
What’s Up for June?

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Mars grazes the lion's heart,

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a connection to ancient times,

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and the galaxy
in all its glory.

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Starting with planet
observing for this month,

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find Saturn and Venus

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in the eastern sky
during the couple of hours

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before dawn each morning
throughout the month.

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Saturn rapidly climbs

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higher in the sky
each day as the month goes on.

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You'll find the third quarter
moon next to Saturn on the 19th,

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and a crescent moon
next to Venus on the 22nd.

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Mercury pops up toward
the end of the month.

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Look for it quite
low in the west,

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just as the glow of
sunset is fading.

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It's highest and most
visible on the 27th.

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Mars is still visible
in the couple of hours

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after sunset toward
the west, though it's

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noticeably fainter
than it was in early May.

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Over several days in mid-June,
Mars passes quite close

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to Regulus, the bright star
at the heart of the

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constellation Leo, the lion.

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Have a peek on the 16th
and 17th with binoculars

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or a small telescope
to see them as close

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as the width of the full moon.

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June means that

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Milky Way "Core Season" is here.

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This is the time of year
when the Milky Way

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is visible as a faint
band of hazy light

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arching across
the sky all night.

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You just need to be
under dark skies

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away from bright city
lights to see it.

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What you're looking at

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is the bright central
core of our home galaxy,

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seen edge-on, from our position
within the galaxy's disk.

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Long-exposure photos
make the Milky Way's

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bright stars and dark
dust clouds even clearer.

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And while our eyes
see it in visible light,

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NASA telescopes

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observe the galaxy
across the spectrum —

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peering through dust to help us
better understand our origins.

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However you observe it,

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getting out under
the Milky Way in June

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is a truly remarkable
way to connect with the cosmos.

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June brings the summer solstice
for those north of the equator,

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which is the winter solstice
for those south of the equator.

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In the Northern Hemisphere,

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this is when the Sun
is above the horizon 

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longer than any other day,

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making it the longest
day of the year.

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The situation is reversed
for the Southern Hemisphere,

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where it's the shortest
day of the year.

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Earth's tilted
rotation is the culprit.

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The tilt is always in the same
direction, with the North Pole

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always pointing toward
Polaris, the North Star.

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And since that tilt stays
the same, year round,

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when we're on
one side of the Sun in winter,

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the north part of the planet
is tilted away from the Sun.

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But six months later,
the planet moves halfway

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around its annual path,
carrying us to the opposite side

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of Earth's orbit,

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and the northern part
of the planet

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now finds itself
tilted toward the Sun.

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The June solstice is when
this tilt is at its maximum.

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This is summertime
for the north,

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bringing long days,

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lots more sunlight,

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and warmer temperatures.

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The June solstice marks
a precise moment

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in Earth's orbit –

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a consistent
astronomical signpost

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that humans have observed
for millennia.

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Ancient structures
from Stonehenge

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to Chichén Itzá

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were built, in part,
to align with the solstices,

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demonstrating how important

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these celestial events
were to many cultures.

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So whether you're experiencing

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long summer days in
the northern hemisphere

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or the brief daylight
hours of winter

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in the south,

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find a quiet spot
to watch the sunset

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on this special day
and you'll be participating

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in one of humanity's
oldest astronomical traditions,

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connecting you to observers

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across thousands of years
of human history.

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Here are the phases
of the Moon for June.

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You can stay up to date
on all of NASA's missions

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exploring the solar system
and beyond at science.nasa.gov.

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I'm Preston Dyches from NASA's
Jet Propulsion Laboratory,

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and that's
What's Up for this month.