June 1
The Serpent Rises
Sun Position
The Sun sits in Gemini, with a declination near +22°, placing it high in the northern sky. Northern Hemisphere days are long and still gaining light; southern nights are the longest of the year.
Sky Highlight
No major meteor shower peaks today. The Ophiuchid radiant is active through early June, producing modest rates of slow meteors from the direction of the serpent-bearer. Best viewed from the Southern Hemisphere, where Ophiuchus climbs higher.
Deep Sky Object
M5 (NGC 5904), a globular cluster about 24,500 light-years away. One of the oldest and most richly populated globular clusters in the Milky Way, M5 in Serpens Caput resolves beautifully into stars at moderate magnification and rivals M13 for the title of finest northern globular. Well-placed for both hemispheres in June evenings; binoculars show a fuzzy star, a small telescope begins to resolve the edges.
Featured Star
Unukalhai (α Ser) is an orange giant (K2IIIb) about 73 light-years away, the brightest point in Serpens, the sky's only constellation split in two by another. Its warm glow marks the serpent's neck, held in the eternal grip of Ophiuchus.
Around This Date
- June 3, 1769James Cook observed the Transit of Venus from Tahiti, one of the primary goals of his first Pacific voyage and a key measurement in the effort to determine the distance from Earth to the Sun.
- June 2, 1966Surveyor 1 became the first American spacecraft to make a soft landing on the Moon, transmitting thousands of photographs of the lunar surface and confirming the ground was firm enough to support a crewed lander.
The serpent's neck burns quietly orange above the horizon, patient as the sky itself.