June

Abstract

The majestic constellations that we can see after dusk during this month herald the mighty rising of the summer Milky Way. Indeed, typical constellations for early June nights are Hercules, Lyra, Ophiuchus and Scorpius. The simple reason for this phenomenon is the slow orbit of our planet around the Sun. With it, our night-time window gradually shifts to the east. This month, the Sun passes in front of the constellations of Taurus and Gemini. The Sun also crosses the galactic plane of the winter Milky Way. As such, our night-time window points in the direction of the summer Milky Way. Figure 8.1 illustrates our night-time window during the summer season. The bright area reflects the constellations that are hidden by bright daylight. The summer season offers us an exciting vantage point to study the feature rich innermost part of our galaxy, as it passes high overhead during the balmiest of nights.