TRAC Action Plan: June 2025
- Category: Action Plans
- Author: JM
- Published: 01 Jun 2025
- Last updated: 03 Jun 2025
June 2025 Calendar
- Sun, 01 Jun Moon close to Mars and Regulus
- Tue, 03 Jun First Quarter Moon
- Fri, 06 Jun Moon close to Spica (Virgo)
- Wed, 11 Jun Full Moon close to Antares (Scorpius)
- Wed, 18 Jun Last Quarter Moon
- Sat, 21 Jun Summer Solstice (Northern Hemisphere)
- Wed, 25 Jun New Moon
- Sun, 29 Jun Moon close to Mars and Regulus (Leo)
Summer Stargazing
Summer Constellations
The summer constellations are now on view! We'll be on the lookout for:
- Lyra (Vega)
- Aquila (Altair)
- Cygnus (Deneb)
- Hercules (The Keystone)
- Libra
- Scorpius (Antares)
- Vulpecula
- Sagittarius
Image credit: Stellarium
Antares
The red supergiant star Antares (mag. +1.0) in Scorpius (The Scorpion) is on our list of main targets for 2025.
"Antares" literally means "rival of Mars" due to its red colour. TRAC members would never confuse the two because they know that Mars is found much further west at the moment.
Image credit: Stellarium
Scorpius will be low in the sky from our latitude, so the scorpion's tail will remain hidden below the horizon.
Spring Again
We might also get the chance to spot some of the spring constellations we may have missed in April and May. Leo, Arcturus in Boötes, and surrounding constellations will still be visible.
Asteroid Vesta
Minor planet Vesta was at opposition on 02 May 2025. Since then, it's gradually been getting dimmer as it moves away from us. It will start June at mag. +6.1 and fade to mag. +6.7 by the end of the month. There may still be a chance for you to see it using binoculars this month.
Please refer back to our May 2025 Action Plan.
Globular Cluster (M13)
We'll take a closer look at this star cluster through the telescope.
Please refer back to our May 2025 Action Plan.
Solar Observations
Warning!
Looking at the Sun can cause serious eye damage or blindness.
The following methods are NOT safe:
- The naked eye
- Sunglasses
- Binoculars
- Smoked glass
- Cameras
- Telescopes
Safe ways to view the Sun:
- ISO-certified eclipse glasses from a reputable manufacturer
- Special solar filters and solar film for optical devices
- Pinhole cameras and other projection methods
Your eyesight is priceless. Do NOT take any risks.
NEVER allow children to view the Sun on their own.
Sunspots and Solar Photography
We need some extra practice when it comes to photographing the Sun.
June is an excellent time to view the Sun from the UK.
Planets
Mercury is still close to the Sun, but it will set 90 minutes after sunset by mid-June. Venus shines bright in the morning sky for anyone awake before sunrise, which occurs at around 04:30. Jupiter is now too low in the north-west to be seen after it get dark.
Mars
Mars (mag. +1.3) is now much lower in the sky after sunset and has drifed into the constellation Leo. It will lie close to the Moon and the bright star Regulus on 01 Jun 2025 and will be closest to Regulus on the evening of 17 Jun 2025.
Image credit: Stellarium
Lunar Observations
June 2025 Lunar Calendar
- First Quarter Tue 03
- Full Moon Wed 11
- Last Quarter Wed 18
- New Moon Wed 25
Lowest Full Moon Until 2043
This month's Full Moon (mag. -12.1) will appear very low in the sky. It will be the lowest Full Moon in 19 years. Here in Rainham, the Moon will only reach a maximum altitude of roughly 10 degrees.
This is as low as the Full Moon can get. The event occurs every 19 years and is known as a Major Lunar Standstill.
The June Full Moon will be the lowest one seen until 2043 in the Northern Hemisphere. This low position in the sky will make the Moon appear larger than usual and it might even appear yellow, orange, pink, or red.
Image credit: Stellarium
We'll aim to watch the moonrise on either Tue 10 Jun or Wed 11 Jun, depending on the weather forecast and our schedules.
Moon Conjunctions & Occultations
Conjunctions involving the Moon and a planet or a bright star, though common, always provide good photo opportunities.
Once again, the first half of the month offers a few celestial close encounters. Here's what we'll look out for:
| Date | Approx Time | Planet/Star | Moon Phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 01 Jun | After 22:00 | Mars & Regulus | 37% Waxing Crescent |
| Fri 06 Jun | After 22:00 | Spica (Virgo) | 83% Waxing Gibbous |
| Tue 10/11 Jun | After 22:00 | Antares (Scorpius) | 98% Almost Full Moon |
| Sun 29 Jun | After 22:30 | Mars & Regulus | 23% Waxing Crescent |
Admin Tasks
New Designs
We will continue working on designing:
- Stickers
- Certificates for children
- Limited edition TRAC 2025 bookmark
Website Content
- We'll review the photos taken in May 2025 and add the best ones to the website.
- The website still needs a "Gallery" page to showcase our best photos.
- We still need to create avatars to put alongside our names on the "Meet the Team" page.
TRAC Research
Topics we need to read up on:
- Which settings to use for the Nikon D60 camera
- How best to use the SV105 Planetary Camera
Summary
Top Priorities for June 2025
In descending order of importance:
June Astrophotography
Photography opportunities this month include:
- Low-altitude Full Moon
- The Sun (Sunspots)
- Various Moon Conjunctions
See You Out There
The Summer Solstice occurs on 21 Jun 2025. The Sun reaches its highest point in the sky during the day. This is the day with the longest period of daylight and the shortest nighttime. The reduced amount of darkness is not good for astronomy!
The main event this month will be watching the rise of the Moon on 10/11 Jun 2025.
James M
TRAC Team Leader
01 Jun 2025 – Rainham, Kent
TRAC is an amateur astronomy group based in Rainham (Kent) in the United Kingdom.
On clear nights, you'll find us outside, observing stars, planets, moons, galaxies, satellites, meteors, and comets.
This action plan is specifically tailored for our location (Rainham, Kent), schedules, optical equipment, level of experience, personal interests, and local sky conditions.
Unless stated otherwise, magnitude values refer to apparent magnitude and have usually been rounded to one decimal place; photos of deep-sky objects credited to TRAC were taken using a Seestar S50 smart telescope; our observations were made from Rainham, Kent; and times and dates are in the UK's local time zone (GMT or BST, depending on the time of year).
We welcome any questions, feedback, or suggestions you may have. Please let us know if anything is unclear or if you notice an error, inaccuracy, or typo. Contact us via email.
© 2025 Taverners Road Astronomy Club