New at the Tianyu Theater in June: The "Competition" from the Stars debuted

Nanjing, June 6 (Reporter Yang Yanci) According to the news of the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on the 1st, entering June, as the handle of the Big Dipper points to the south, the summer Milky Way rises, and there will be a number of romantic night sky fairy tales in the starry sky: the "five stars" of gold, wood, water, fire and earth will meet the moon girl intensively, and the Hive Star Cluster will bring a "competition" from the stars with mysterious visitors.

This month, the starry sky enters the spring-summer alternation. Spring typical starry skies such as Leo, Virgo, and Ursa Major turn westward. At the same time, the brilliant summer Milky Way rises from the northeast, and the constellations Cygnus and Lyra all appear and enter the "stage" in the center of the starry sky.

The encounter between planets and deep-sky objects is one of the celestial phenomena that astronomy enthusiasts are passionate about. The starry sky object that appeared in June was the open cluster M44, also known as the Hive Cluster. This open cluster is large and bright, and the moment of "rubbing" or "meeting" with the planet is especially worth recording.

In the western sky on a June evening, a "chase race" from the stars is staged. The two planets of Venus and Mars will "cross" from the constellation Cancer and meet the famous open star cluster M44 in Cancer, becoming the most unmissable celestial phenomenon of the month.

At the beginning of the month, Mars was the first to pass through the Beehive Cluster, reaching its "aphelix" on June 6. At that time, Mars will be shining at about magnitude 2.1 and the Hive Cluster at about magnitude 6.3. Interested members of the public can use binoculars or small astronomical telescopes to see a red star flying freely among the stars.

After 10 days, Venus also came to M44 and reached its best viewing condition on the 13th. In the evening, Venus and M44 are less than 1° apart, almost entering M44. Venus shines at magnitude -4.5, and under the bright glow of Venus, M44 will appear eclipsed, creating a stark contrast between light and dark.

Experts said that it is very rare for a planet with good observation conditions like this month to approach the M44 phenomenon, and the next viewing window will not open until 2025, two years later.

In addition, during June, the stars will intensively date the moon girl. 10th, Saturn conjunction with the Moon; On the 11th, Neptune conjunction; On the 14th, Jupiter-Moon conjunction; On the 15th, Uranus conjunction; On the 17th, Mercury conjunction. Among the celestial phenomena of the stars and the moon, the most unmissable is that Venus, Mars, and M44, which have just gone through the "chase race", meet the moon at the "end".

In just two days, the Moon joined M44, Venus, and Mars. On the 21st, the Moon came to a position about 44° north of M3. On the evening of the 22nd, bright Venus, red Mars and a very thin crescent moon reached their sweetest moment, and the three celestial bodies formed an interesting picture in the western sky. (End)