June 23 – 30, 2021:  Venus is quickly catching Mars in the western sky after sun.  Venus passes the Red Planet next month.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/06/09/2021-june-23-30-evening-star-venus-mars/

The Perseid meteor shower peaks on the morning of August 12. This year promises favorable observing without the moon in the sky during the shower. The meteors are the dust from comet that vaporize when they strike the atmosphere. Sirius may be visible in the southeast about 45 minutes before sunrise.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/06/08/2021-august-12-morning-perseid-meteor-peak/

June 16, 2021:  A summer project is to build a sidewalk solar system model. The scale uses the sun’s size as the size of a basketball.  Earth’s distance is 88 feet.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/06/07/2021-june-16-sidewalk-solar-system/

June 20 – June 23, 2021:  The bright moon appears near the classic Scorpion.  On the first two evenings, the lunar orb appears near the pincers and on the next two, it’s near the scorpion’s heart.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/06/06/2021-june-20-23-scorpion-moon/

June 15 – June 22, 2021:  Brilliant Evening Star Venus shines in the west-northwest after sunset.  It continues to close the distance to Mars.  Venus shines from Gemini, beneath Castor and Pollux.  Mars marches eastward in Cancer, approaching the Beehive star cluster.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/06/05/2021-june-15-22-evening-star-venus-mars/

June 18 – 19, 2021:  The waxing moon is moving through Virgo.  On June 18, it is near Porrima.  The next evening, the moon is above Spica.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/06/04/2021-june-18-19-moon-in-virgo/

June 15, 2021:  The Pleiades star cluster returns to the morning sky.  You may have observed the star cluster in the east-northeast during morning twilight.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/06/03/15-june-2021-pleiades-morning-return/

June 23, 2021:  Red Planet Mars appears to be in the Beehive this evening.  For clarity, it’s in the Beehive star cluster.  While low in the sky and in an unfavorable observing location, take a look with a binocular before the planet and the cluster set.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/06/02/2021-june-23-mars-in-the-beehive/

June 20, 2021:  The sun reaches the summer solstice mark in the sky, to signal the beginning of astronomical summer in the northern hemisphere.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/06/01/2021-june-20-summer-solstice/

June 17, 2021:  At mid-month, bright Jupiter and Saturn are in the southern sky before sunrise.  Saturn is retrograding in Capricornus.  Jupiter’s eastward direction is slowing as it turns westward to retrograde beginning June 21.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/05/31/2021-june-17-morning-planets/