June 2022: a morning quartet of planets and a star cluster

Today’s Video of the Day from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory reveals what can be seen in the night sky throughout the month of June 2022, including planets and a star cluster. According to NASA, the morning quartet of Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, and Mars continues, but the planets will spread farther apart over the next couple of months

“The gathering of four naked-eye planets we’ve been enjoying in the morning sky for the past few months – including several close conjunctions, is beginning to break up,” says NASA.

“Over the next few months, Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus will appear increasingly spread out across the morning sky – so much so that Venus and Saturn will make their exits as morning objects for most observers by September.”

June is a good time to view the globular star cluster M13, also known as the Hercules Cluster, which contains several hundred thousand stars. 

“The stars in M13 are thought to be around 12 billion years old, which is approaching the age of the universe itself. Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, is known to have about 150 globular clusters. They orbit outside the galaxy’s disk, traveling tens of thousands of light years above and below its spiral arms and most of its stars,” reports NASA.

“Now, the Hercules Cluster is best observed with a telescope, and larger telescopes will allow you to see more of the cluster’s stars. But you can also find it with a pair of binoculars, where it’ll look like a hazy little spot.”

Video Credit: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory 

Image Credit: T. Bash, J. Fox, and A. Block/NOAO/AURA/NSF

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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer