June 9
The Raised Tail
Sun Position
The Sun is in Gemini, declination near +23°. Northern Hemisphere days are at nearly their maximum length; the southern winter night is extended.
Sky Highlight
No major meteor shower peaks today. The Scorpius-Sagittarius star clouds are now climbing well above the southern horizon after dark for tropical and southern observers, offering the richest region of the Milky Way visible to the naked eye.
Deep Sky Object
M7 (Ptolemy's Cluster), an open cluster about 800 light-years away. M7 in Scorpius is one of the most prominent open clusters in the sky, visible to the naked eye near the scorpion's tail; it was noted by Ptolemy in 130 CE, making it one of the oldest recorded deep-sky objects. Best from southern latitudes and tropics; from northern mid-latitudes it sits very low in the south and benefits from a clear horizon.
Featured Star
Shaula (λ Sco) is a triple system about 700 light-years away whose primary is a blue subgiant (B1.5IV), burning intensely at the raised tip of the scorpion's tail. The light arriving tonight departed during the early medieval period, yet the star itself still has tens of millions of years of hydrogen left to burn.
Around This Date
- June 9, 1933The first attempt to launch the Magdeburg Pilot Rocket subscale prototype was made near Magdeburg, Germany, using a 9-meter launch stand; the rocket failed to clear the tower due to insufficient thrust, and follow-on attempts on June 10 and 11 were also unsuccessful due to leaky valves and quality problems.
- June 11, 1985The European Space Agency's Giotto mission was launched toward Halley's Comet, ultimately passing within about 600 kilometers of the comet's nucleus in March 1986.
The scorpion's tail is a triple system at heart, though the eye sees only one blue point.