In Astrophiz Episode 235, Dr. Ian Musgrave joins host Brendan O'Brien to deliver your comprehensive June 2026 SkyGuide, detailing a spectacular month of naked-eye astronomy and astrophotography targets.

[00:00] Introduction & Indigenous Country acknowledgment

[01:05] The June Moon Phases: Apogee, Perigee, and High Tides

[02:18] How to observe the Lunar X and Lunar V (June 22)

[03:45] The Evening Sky: The Great Planet Dance of Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury

[06:22] The Morning Sky: Mars tracking towards Uranus, and Saturn's rings opening up

[07:44] Early Morning Occultation of Antares (June 28)

[09:02] Autumn Stargazing: Tracking the First Nations Dark Constellation, the Cosmic Emu

[10:11] The June Tangent: Comet Orbits & Busting Social Media Myths

[12:35] June Astrophotography Challenge: Capturing Real-Time Planetary Motion

[15:10] Looking ahead to the 10th Anniversary of Astrophiz

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

- The Planet Dance: Watch Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury form dynamic triangles and planetary massings in the western evening twilight.

- The Cosmic Emu: How to utilize dark sky sites to see the Coalsack and the dark rifts of the Milky Way shape this iconic celestial silhouette.

- The Tangent: Dr. Musgrave counters a viral internet myth regarding comets moving in "lockstep" with the stars, explaining how to observe and calculate actual orbital progression.

For the full, human-curated transcript of this episode and links to resources mentioned by Ian, visit our website: https://astrophiz.com

Astrophiz is an independent, ad-free, and unsponsored science podcast produced on Yorta Yorta, Pangarang, and Kaurna country. If you enjoy our monthly sky guides and deep-dive interviews with global space scientists, please subscribe, leave a review, and share the universe with a friend. Keep looking up!