Astronomical League

June 6, 2026 – 82nd anniversary of D-Day.

What was the moon's phase during D-Day and why was that so important?

Correct response:
A. The moon’s phase was roughly 6 hours shy of being full. That was important because
• it would provide a sufficient amount of light on the night of June 5 into June 6 for landing preparations to be made,
• moonlight would be bright enough to illuminate the countryside allowing gliders to land behind enemy lines,
• and the tides would be low during the estimated landing times and would remain low for a couple of hours. Low tide was about 5:20 a.m. and the next high tide was about 11:00 a.m.

When the landings began, the moon was low in the southwest near Antares. It set at 6:08 a.m., 10 minutes after sunrise, beginning the "Longest Day."

Where are we in the Best of 2026?

Jun 8 & 9, Outreach Opportunity - Venus passes Jupiter in the early evening.

Coming up:
Aug 12, Partial solar eclipse
Aug 12-15, ALCon 2026

A string of planets stretch across the mid day June sky: Neptune, Saturn, Mars, Uranus, Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter. In the evening sky, Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter will be visible. In the morning, Saturn and Mars make appearances, with Mars tending to be lost in the twilight.

You may hear of a planet parade or a special alignment of planets. In light of this, is that the case? In a very real sense, the planets always lie in a line.

In any case, look for the brilliant Venus - bright Jupiter conjunction on June 8 and 9. One of the year's top 10 celestial events!

Changing altitude of Polaris

Observing Activity

Are you planning a trip?
As you travel south, Polaris' altitude above the northern horizon becomes less.
In fact, it always matches your latitude, while Polaris' declination is always 90º.
• On your next journey that involves a significant latitude change, measure the altitude of Polaris before you leave, and again, after you arrive at your destination.
• Your fist-width on your outstretched arm spans about 10º. Use that handy reference for estimating the altitude of Polaris above the true horizon due north.
• Your difference in latitudes should match the proportional change in fist-widths.

Because Earth is round – not flat, not potato shaped – this activity is possible. If it were any other shape, as one traveled north or south, this Observer–latitude/Polaris–altitude relationship would not be seen.

City Lat. = Polaris Alt.
US City Lat.
Anchorage 61.2º
Seattle 46.7º
Minneapolis 45.0º
Boston 42.4º
Chicago 41.9º
New York 40.7º
Denver 39.7º
Kansas City 39.0º
Washington 38.9º
San Francisco 37.8º
Los Angeles 34.1º
Atlanta 33.7º
Dallas 32.8º
San Diego 32.8º
Jacksonville 30.3º
New Orleans 30.0º
San Antonio 29.4º
Miami 25.8º
Honolulu 21.3º

We, in the northern mid latitudes, see clearly no further south than perhaps -40º before Earth gets in the way. We miss out on a lot! Folks in the southern mid latitudes have a much different view of the sky than we do. June is a great time of year to admire Alpha and Beta Centauri, the Souther Cross, and the magnificent region encompassing the fascinating star forming region of Eta Carina.

WHY ATTEND ALCON?

Some people think astronomy is more of a solitary activity, but most
amateur astronomers know it’s actually the shared experience that brings
richness and depth to astronomy.

ALCON gives us an opportunity for gathering to celebrate and learn about
our shared love of astronomy, and to meet other like-minded amateur
astronomers, exchange ideas on what we do within astronomy, from
observing and astrophotography, to citizen science and public outreach.
The shared experience of astronomy is one of the things which for many
justifies this as a life-long endeavor, and attending an ALCON is a great way
to engage others in pursuit of that experience. It’s the reason so many
attend ALCON year after year.

ALCON 2026 Cincinnati, will give you an opportunity to learn about Mars,
asteroids and meteorites, astronomy history, how to engage young
scientists, and a well-represented category of how we, as amateurs, can
make a real impact through our involvement with citizen science. And much
more. It will give you an opportunity to explore a city that has a significant
history in the astronomy world, both amateur and professional, and engage
with other amateur astronomers from all over the nation.

Please join us this August 12-15 for ALCON 2026 Cincinnati, and for the
very special afterparty on August 16 under the dark skies of Southern Ohio.

Explore with Us at ALCON 2026 Cincinnati.

ALCON2026.org

https://youtu.be/G09NSTCVYSU

The Astronomical League's own Don Knabb shows what lies above in the June 2026 night sky. Check out the monthly sky map and viewing activity. Venus and Jupiter give a captivating scene in the early evening western sky!

https://youtu.be/G09NSTCVYSU

This May, the blue moon is also a

Mini–moon!

What is it? How "mini" is it?

The Moon revolves around our planet in an ellipse. Consequently, at times it lies farther away, while at other times, it lies closer. Its farthest point is called apogee – on average 252,000 miles away – and its nearest point is perigee – averaging 222,000 miles distant. The values of perigee and apogee vary from month to month primarily due to the gravitational influence of the Sun.

Why doesn’t a Mini-moon occur every month? How rare is it?

• In most months, the moment of when the Moon reaches its full phase doesn’t coincide with when it reaches apogee. The time between Full Moons (= 29.5 days) doesn’t equal the time between apogees (= 27.5 days). The farthest Full Moons – i.e., the true Mini-moons – recur about every 13 months 18 days (= 413 days) because 14 consecutive Full Moons (= 413.4 days) almost exactly equal 15 returns to apogee (= 413.3 days).

• The definition of what constitutes a Mini-moon is arbitrary – it all depends on what Earth/Moon distance is chosen. If the Full Moon falls beyond the arbitrarily specified distance, then a Mini-moon occurs.

• If it is defined as occurring when a Full Moon lies outside 251,700 miles (405,000 km) of Earth, then it can happen in two or three consecutive months centered about every 13 months 18 days.

It is occasionally called "micro-moon" and "apogean full moon."

AL LIVE!
June 26, 2026
7:00 pm EDT

Join host Terry Mann as she welcomes Scott Roberts who will discuss traveling to international star parties and events. Perfect for summer travel!

Also appearing
Chuck Allen, Laurie Ansorge, Bryan Simpson, and David Levy.

For years as a deep sky observer, I dreaded those nights when our satellite world would begin to dominate the night sky in its monthly cycle. Living in the northeast US where clear nights are few and far between, it seemed such a waste of a cloudless sky when the moon began to drown out those wonderful deep sky gems that I so loved to observe!

On one of those nights, I decided to give in and observe the moon. It must have been around first quarter because, for the first time ever, I saw the Rimae Ariadaeus and Hyginus. I knew there were features on the moon other than mare and craters, but I had never seen lunar rilles. I spent that evening trying to tease out as much detail as I could in my 8” Dobsonian. That was when the moon went from being a nuisance to being an object of observation.

I had seen sketches of the moon in various journals and books. Thinking that they were objects of beauty as well as subjects for serious observation, I decided to try my hand. I have no background in art, but that did not stop me from trying various techniques from graphite on white sketch paper to white pastel against black sketch paper. For me, using the latter technique was the most satisfying, and it is the technique that I use now. I discovered that sketching the moon was the best way to appreciate this fascinating little world in all its complexity. And for lunar sketching, one doesn’t need a dim red light!

While I still love deep sky and planetary observing, no other object in the night sky provides such a wealth of detail as our own moon. When sketching, there is always a narrative going on in my head, such as “Oh, there’s a break in the wall of that crater at 6 o’clock,” or “That rille meanders to where that tiny craterlet lies.”

I can’t think of any other way that gets the observer to notice every wonderful detail other than sketching. For me, sketching gave me the impetus and curiosity to find out why lunar features look the way they do and how they formed.

Give the moon the attention it deserves and try sketching its other worldly vistas!