Howdy Star Gazers and welcome to this episode
of Star Trails. Drew here, and I'll be your guide
to the night sky for the week starting June 8th
through the 14th. This week we take a look at
the Sun's roughly 11 -year cycle in which its
magnetic field flips, bringing enhanced levels
of solar activity. We'll also check out a daytime
meteor shower, and of course this month's full
moon, which is a little extra special this year.
Whether you're tuning in from the backyard, the
balcony, or just your imagination, I'm glad you're
here. So find a cozy spot, let your eyes adjust,
and let's see what the sky holds for us this
week. The night of June 10th marks the appearance
of this month's full moon, the strawberry moon,
and this one is unique for a couple of reasons.
The name of this full moon comes from Native
American tribes, particularly the Algonquin,
who used the June full moon as a signal to gather
ripening strawberries. It's not about the moon's
color, but rather the timing of the harvest season.
This year's strawberry moon is notable for being
the lowest full moon in 18 years. Because of
the moon's orbital path and its position relative
to the Earth and Sun, it will appear unusually
close to the horizon, and never get more than
30 degrees or so at its highest point over the
horizon. Remember, if you hold your fist out
at arm's length, that represents about 10 degrees
in the sky. When the moon is near the horizon,
our brains perceive it as larger than when it's
higher in the sky, a phenomenon known as the
moon illusion. So on the evening of June the
10th, as the strawberry moon rises in the southeast,
it will appear enormous and golden -hued creating
a breathtaking sight. For the best experience,
find a location with an unobstructed view of
the eastern horizon. The moon will rise about
8 .30 p .m. local time, so be ready with your
camera to capture this stunning event. Early
risers may want to catch it just before sunrise,
as it will be setting in the southwest just before
dawn. This week offers an array of planetary
sightings for both evening and early morning
observers, including a close encounter with Jupiter
and the elusive Mercury. Starting around June
12th, Mercury becomes visible low in the western
sky about 45 minutes after sunset. It reaches
its best evening elongation mid -month, offering
a brief but worthwhile viewing opportunity. Tonight,
June 8th, Mercury will be just two degrees north
of Jupiter, providing a chance to see both planets
in close proximity shortly after sunset. Visible
in the early evenings during the first week of
June, Jupiter shines low in the western sky after
sunset. However, it quickly descends and becomes
lost in the sun's glare as the month progresses.
Mars, the red planet, graces our western sky
for a couple of hours after sunset throughout
June. It's gradually descending lower each evening
but remains a prominent feature in the constellation
Leo. Notably, next week Mars will pass close
to Regulus, the brightest star in Leo, appearing
about a half a degree apart, roughly the width
of the full moon. Morning observers are still
being dazzled by our brightest planet, Venus.
It rises about two hours before the Sun and dominates
the eastern pre -dawn sky throughout June. It's
a brilliant beacon that's hard to miss and remains
the brightest object in the sky after the moon.
Saturn rises in the southeastern sky around 3am
in early June. It's a bit fainter than Venus,
but still noticeable. For those with telescopes,
Uranus and Neptune are also in the morning sky.
Near the end of the month, into the middle of
July, Neptune will appear within one degree of
Saturn, making it a convenient target for those
already observing the ringed planet. Be sure
to consult with a star chart or app to determine
the exact locations of these icy gas giants.
For an easy deep sky object, check out the butterfly
cluster, Messier number 6. M6 is an open star
cluster located in the constellation Scorpius.
Its name comes from its resemblance to a butterfly,
with stars forming patterns akin to wings. This
cluster is approximately 1 ,600 light -years
away from Earth and contains several dozen stars,
including some bright blue giants. This cluster
is best viewed in mid -June. Look toward the
southern horizon after 1130 PM. The cluster will
be about 20 degrees above the horizon at its
peak. M6 has an apparent magnitude of 4 .2, making
it challenging to see with the naked eye under
light -polluted skies. It's easily visible through
binoculars. To locate it, find the constellation
Scorpius and look near the Stinger stars, Shala
and Lasath. From there, scan slightly northwest
to spot the cluster. The Areatid meteor shower
is happening right now, but you're not likely
to see it. Most meteor showers are best viewed
under the cover of night, but the Areatids are
a bit of an oddball. They're a daytime meteor
shower. Peaking around June the 7th each year,
the Areatids originate from the constellation
Aries and are known for their high meteor rates.
However, because they occur during daylight hours,
they're notoriously difficult to observe with
the naked eye. Despite that, there's a brief
window just before dawn when you might catch
a glimpse. For those of us in North America,
that means heading out around 4 .30am or so Looking
eastward, the radiant point in Aries rises above
the horizon around this time of year, offering
a slim chance to see meteors streaking across
the pre -dawn sky. Radar and radio observations
have detected up to 200 meteors per hour during
the Ariatids peak, making them one of the most
prolific meteor showers, just not for visual
observers like us. We've talked about meteors
planets and a full moon But now we're turning
our gaze towards the star that makes it all possible
the Sun Lately the Sun's been putting on quite
a show throwing off solar flares launching clouds
of charged particles into space and Lighting
up the night with spectacular auroras that reached
far farther south than usual Auroras have been
spotted in states like Alabama and even parts
of Texas, not exactly your standard aurora country.
You may remember around this time last year when
I reported on catching aurora here in my home
state, a phenomenon I thought I'd never see here
in the Deep South. So what's going on up there?
Well, the short answer is we're heading into
the peak of the Sun's 11 -year activity cycle.
And in this episode, I want to unpack what that
really means, not just for the sky watchers among
us, but for ham radio operators, satellite tech,
power grids, and really anyone with a smartphone.
Let's start with the fundamentals. the Sun goes
through a natural cycle of magnetic activity
that repeats roughly every 11 years. Interestingly,
over that roughly 11 -year period, the Sun's
magnetic field undergoes a complete flip, meaning
the Sun's north and south magnetic poles switch
places. This cycle influences the number of sunspots,
dark, cooler areas on the Sun's surface caused
by magnetic activity. At the beginning of a cycle
called the solar minimum, the sun is relatively
quiet. You might go weeks without seeing a single
sunspot. But as the cycle ramps up, those magnetic
fields become more active, twisting and snapping
in powerful ways. This leads to the appearance
of more sunspots and more solar flares and coronal
mass ejections, or CMEs. These are massive bursts
of charged particles and magnetic fields hurled
into space. Eventually we reach the solar maximum,
the peak of activity, when the Sun's surface
is crawling with sunspots and popping off flares
and CMEs on a regular basis. Then gradually things
calm back down into the next solar minimum, and
the whole dance starts again. Right now, as we
speak in June 2025, we're approaching the solar
maximum. In fact, this cycle, known as Solar
Cycle 25, is shaping up to be one of the more
intense in recent memory. Some scientists think
we may see activity levels not reached since
the late 1990s, or even the peak of the so -called
Space Weather Superstorm era of the early 2000s.
When a CME or solar flare is aimed toward Earth,
it slams into our planet's magnetic field. Most
of the time, we're well shielded. Our magnetic
field does a pretty good job deflecting all that
charged plasma. But during strong solar storms,
the energy overwhelms our magnetic defenses and
flows into the atmosphere near the poles, where
it excites oxygen and nitrogen molecules. That's
what creates those famous green and red ribbons
in the sky, the aurora borealis in the north
and aurora australis in the south. When the storm
is especially powerful, the auroral oval expands.
That's how we get auroras far south of the usual
high -latitude zones. A couple of months ago,
folks as far south as Arizona, Georgia, and even
parts of Mexico saw northern lights with the
naked eye. Now, if you're an amateur radio operator,
or ham, you're probably already tracking solar
activity. For folks in the amateur radio community,
the sun's cycle isn't just academic. It can make
or break the ability to make contact around the
globe. When I became a ham radio operator, we
were coming out of a solar maximum, and I was
able to talk to other hams all over the world
on my 100 watt transceiver. As we approached
the solar minimum some years ago, the bands seemingly
went dead. Here's the science in a nutshell.
When solar activity is high, the Sun pumps out
more ultraviolet and x -ray radiation. That radiation
hits Earth's upper atmosphere, specifically the
ionosphere, and charges it up, creating layers
of ionized gas that can reflect radio waves back
to the surface. That reflection allows radio
signals to bounce around the world, especially
on certain high -frequency bands like 10, 15,
and 20 meters. Essentially, your signal bounces
off the upper atmosphere and lands on the other
side of the planet. The ionosphere acts as a
powerful mirror and hams can chat with stations
across oceans using just a modest rig and a simple
wire antenna. Using low bandwidth modes like
Morse code and some of the newer digital protocols
intended for weak signal work, communications
can be copied even farther away. But there is
a flip side. When solar storms get too strong,
they can actually overload the ionosphere, causing
rapid changes in its density. That leads to signal
fading, distortion, or complete blackouts, especially
on lower frequencies. So for ham operators, it's
a bit of a Goldilocks situation. A little solar
activity... Great, a lot is amazing, and too
much all at once means it's time to grab a book
and wait it out. The sun's temper tantrums don't
just affect auroras and radio enthusiasts. They
also impact commercial aviation, GPS, communications
satellites, and even the electrical grid. A strong
enough geomagnetic storm can induce electric
currents and long -distance power lines. potentially
damaging transformers and causing blackouts.
Airlines sometimes reroute polar flights during
solar storms to reduce radiation exposure and
to avoid radio blackouts. Satellite operators
monitor solar flare alerts because high -energy
particles can fry electronics or interfere with
navigation signals. Even your smartphone can
feel the effects. If GPS seems a little less
reliable, or satellite -based weather apps are
lagging, the sun might be to blame. But for most
of us, all this activity is a reminder that we're
riding around a very dynamic star. If you're
a stargazer hoping to catch auroras, keep an
eye on the KP index, which is a measure of geomagnetic
activity. When it hits 6 or higher, auroras are
likely to reach mid -latitudes. Apps like Aurora
Alerts or websites like SpaceWeather .com can
give real -time forecasts. And if you're a ham,
now's the time to dust off your HF rig and make
some DX contacts that stands for long distance.
The bands have been hot for more than a year
now, and we're just along for the ride. If the
stars spoke to you this week, or if a question's
been on your mind, I'd love to hear it. Visit
our website, StarTrails .Show, where you can
contact me and explore past episodes. Be sure
to follow us on Mastodon, Blue Sky, and YouTube.
Links are in the show notes. Until we meet again
beneath the stars, clear skies, everyone.