The seasons are about to change, but June will continue to provide astronomy lovers with the regular amount of exciting observation opportunities. From the record-setting Axiom 4 mission to the first day of summer, here are some of June’s most anticipated astronomical phenomena and rocket launches.
The Axiom Mission 4 (AX-4)— led by private spaceflight company Axiom Space, in collaboration with both SpaceX and NASA— will be launching from the Kennedy Space Center at 9:11 AM (Eastern Time) on June 8. After taking off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the crew members will be brought to the International Space Station, where they will participate in the scientific research and technological demonstrations that are frequently carried out there. The mission will be commanded by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who holds the record for the most time spent in space as an American with over 675 days of total spaceflight; and piloted by Shubhanshu Shukla, a test pilot who will become the first Indian astronaut to reach the International Space Station after the AX-4 mission; with mission specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (a European Space Agency astronaut who will be named the second Polish citizen to ever go to space, and the first since 1978) and Tibor Kapu (a Hungarian mechanical engineer and astronaut) also participating. The crew is currently planned to be remaining on the ISS for a period between two and three weeks.
The full moon of June, also known as the Strawberry Moon, will reach its peak visibility at 3:44 AM on June 11. Named for the strawberries (and the many other fruits) that begin to ripen in the summer months– and not for any type of visual pink or red tint to the moon itself, like some hopeful observers might assume–, this full moon is also sometimes referred to as the Berries Ripen Moon, the Blooming Moon, and the Birth Moon.
This year, the summer solstice will land on June 20. Though this is widely considered to mark the first day of summer in the astronomy community, the meteorological first day is observed on June 1 due to the three-month calendar that climatologists use to analyze weather and temperature patterns (meaning that summer would begin on the first day of June and end on the first day of September, while astronomers usually denote September 22 as the season’s end). The summer solstice— which is celebrated on December 21 in the Southern Hemisphere— is the longest day of the year, as it is when either the north or south end of the planet reaches its closest point to our sun. Since our calendar is not exactly 365 days long, the solstice does not fall on the exact same date each year. It currently rotates between June 20, June 21, or June 22, with the last being the most rare: the most recent June 22 solstice occurred in 1975, and the next will not be until 2203. However, despite these issues of unpredictability and timezones, the exact solstice moment will occur at the exact same time across the planet. For those of us in the Eastern time zone, that moment will be at 4:51 PM. The solstice has historically been celebrated in many different ways, ranging from large feasts and bonfires to watching the sunrise or sunset on solstice day, which some cultures believe to bring good luck.
The peak of the June Bootid meteor shower, which is active between June 22 and July 2, is predicted to occur on June 27. Bootid meteors are unusually slow, as they enter the atmosphere at a speed of only 14 kilometers per second. Though the Bootid shower is fairly weak compared to many of the other annual showers (with a typical average rate of only 1-2 meteors per hour), it has produced unusual outbursts of activity in the past. For example, both the 1998 and 2004 Bootid showers had much higher rates between 20 and 100 meteors per hour, with the 2010 shower providing viewers with a lesser, but still unexpected, rate of 10 meteors each hour. However, there is currently no special forecast for the 2025 shower, meaning that it might be quite difficult to catch a look at one of the elusive Bootid meteors.
Overall, this month contains a huge variety of events, from rocket launches to meteor showers to the beginning of a new season! Whether you choose to try your luck at spotting a June Bootid meteor or would rather watch the Strawberry Moon rise, June is sure to contain plenty of astronomy observation opportunities for anyone interested.