TRAC Monthly Report: June 2025
- Category: Monthly Reports
- Author: JM
- Published: 05 Jul 2025
- Last updated: 06 Jul 2025
Summer Night Sky
Summer Constellations
Stargazing in June isn't easy due to the lack of dark skies. We were able to see Aquila, Lyra, and Cygnus – their brightest stars make up the Summer Triangle. And we pointed out the double Mizar and Alcor in Ursa Major to newcomers.
Summer stargazing will continue in July and August.
Lunar Observations
Full Moon - Lowest in 19 Years
The highlight for June 2025 was seeing the lowest Full Moon until 2043.
Image credit: JM (TRAC)
Above image: The Moon looked golden orange as it rose on 10 Jun 2025. This photo, taken at 20:52, was featured in this BBC Sky at Night Magazine article.
Image credit: JM (TRAC)
Above image: The Strawberry Moon seen low in the southeast at 20:47 on 10 Jun 2025. The "Moon Illusion" was easily noticeable as the Moon rose above the houses and trees.
Image credit: JM (TRAC)
Above image: The orange-coloured Strawberry Moon on 10 Jun 2025. This photo has not been altered! The Moon really did look orange.
Image credit: JM (TRAC)
Above image: A wide shot showing the low altitude of this month's Full Moon. The Moon barely rose higher than this throughout the evening.
Image credit: JM (TRAC)
Above image: The Full Moon at 00:30 on the morning of 12 Jun 2025.
Moon at Last Quarter
It's not often that any of us see the waning gibbous moon because we're usually fast asleep before it rises. Only those who are outside in the early hours of the morning get to see it!
Image credit: JM (TRAC)
Above image: The Moon in its third quarter phase taken at 01:00 on 18 Jun 2025.
Image credit: JM (TRAC)
Above image: For comparison, this is the Moon in its last quarter phase on 04 Jun 2025.
Summer Solstice
The summer solstice in June marks the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. This year it fell on 21 Jun 2025.
Sunset on 21 Jun 2025
The photos below were taken from Bloors Wharf, Gillingham, Kent, looking across the River Medway towards Riverside Country Park.
Image credit: JM (TRAC)
Above image: The Sun seen approaching the horizon through wispy clouds.
Image credit: JM (TRAC)
Above image: Luckily, the Sun was unobscured by clouds during the final part of its descent.
Image credit: JM (TRAC)
Above image: The Sun is just about to disappear below the trees on the horizon, marking the end of the longest day of the year.
Summary
We achieved our main goal for June (seeing the low Full Moon). Although that's all we saw, it's not bad for the time of year, given that the sky doesn't get really dark until around midnight. We all saw the "Moon Illusion", where the Moon appears much larger when it's low in the sky. The sunset on the summer solstice was a bonus activity.
James M
TRAC Team Leader
05 Jul 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 monthly report is intended to keep club members informed of our observational activities, track progress towards the club's long-term goals, celebrate successes, and record memorable moments.
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.
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