This Hubble Space Telescope image of a sparkling jewel box full of stars captures the heart of our Milky Way galaxy. Aging red giant stars coexist with their more plentiful younger cousins, the smaller, white, Sun-like stars, in this crowded region of our galaxy’s ancient central hub, or bulge. The 2018 image is a composite of exposures taken in near-infrared and visible light with Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3. The center of our galaxy is about 26,000 light-years away. Image: NASA, ESA, Thomas Brown.
Milky Way Spectacular This Month
BY JONATHAN TRUAX, ASTRONOMER, MUSKEGON COMMUNITY COLLEGE'S CARR-FLES PLANETARIUM
This month, nights are short, but clear skies are frequent and contain many interesting sights for sky watchers including some of the best views of the Milky Way if you observe away from the city lights.
Sky watchers have opportunities this month to see four of the five naked eye planets. In the evening sky looking about 40 minutes after sunset, locate the planet Mercury low in the northwest near the “Twin Stars” Castor and Pollux of Gemini the Twins. The waxing crescent moon is very near Mercury the nights of June 26 and 27, aiding in spotting the planet.
Higher in the sky and much easier to find, locate the orange-red planet Mars amongst the stars of Leo the Lion. Mars will be very tightly paired with the star Regulus of Leo on the night of the 16th of June. The waxing moon is near Mars and Regulus on the nights of June 1 and 2.
The planets Venus and Saturn are seen as two pre-dawn planets during June. Observing about an hour before sunrise, locate brilliant Venus as a white “star” in the east-northeast near the Pleiades star cluster of Taurus. The waning moon is near Venus on the mornings of June 21 and 22. Sky watchers can locate the planet Saturn high in the southern sky among the stars of Pisces. The waning Last Quarter moon is near Saturn the mornings of the 18th and 19th.
As darkness falls after sunset this month, high in the northwest, locate the “Big Dipper” formed by the stars of Ursa Major. High in the western sky nearly overhead, locate the orange star Arcturus of Bootes, the brightest star of summer. Low in the southwest, just west of the bright star Spica, look for a trapezoid-shaped pattern of stars forming Corvus the Crow. Low in the southeast, locate the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion, marked by the bright star Antares. The waxing gibbous moon is very close to Antares on the nights of June 9 and 10.
Rising high in the Eastern sky locate three bright stars all blue or white in color, forming the “Summer Triangle.” Low and to the northeast is Deneb, of Cygnus the Swan. Higher in the east is Vega, of Lyra the Harp. The furthest south of the trio is Altair, of Aquila the Eagle. By dawn the “Summer Triangle” can be found just west of overhead.
This month, about two hours after sunset, the summer Milky Way stretches from low in the south, through the eastern sky, down to the northeast horizon. For the best views of the Milky Way, observe away from city lights and on the nights after the 15th when the moon is not very bright.
Visit the MCC Carr-Fles Planetarium website for upcoming events and call (231) 777-0289 for sky show information. Carr-Fles Planetarium is located on the Muskegon Community College campus in Room 135. Thanks to the generosity of the Reach for the Stars campaign donors, you can now experience Carr-Fles Planetarium with state-of-the-art digital projection, sound and lighting systems; all-new library of shows; and modern theater seating and domed ceiling.
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