This is the continuing monthly column for the astronomer in all of us, or the aspiring astro-physicist. Compared to areas near Boston or New Bedford, generally speaking, the Tri-Town has pretty good dark skies and thus are very fortunate in that regard.
Well, let’s touch on that airburst meteor explosion a few days ago while we’re on the subject of space. Last Sunday, at around 2:00 pm, there was a loud rumble that nearly everyone in eastern New England heard. The sound was a sonic boom from a meteor darting through the atmosphere and breaking up right over the middle of Cape Cod Bay.
In a statement released by NASA on June 1, they say a 5-foot-wide asteroid entered the atmosphere traveling around 42,000 mph before disintegrating around 31 miles in the air. The force of its sonic boom and break up led to a loud explosion, assumed by many to be thunder or a tree falling, for hundreds of miles away. NASA added, “Based on the latest data, the energy released at breakup is estimated to be equivalent to about 230 tons of TNT.” No damage was reported.
Now let’s get back to looking up at the sky following this reminder that we are very much a part of space. June sees the reemergence of the “Summer Triangle,” or the stellar triangle produced by the stars Altair, Deneb, and Vega visible above the entirety of the Northern Hemisphere.
The daytime Arietids meteor shower occurs between May 22 and June 24, peaking on June 7 with around 60 meteors per hour. The location of the meteors in the sky is relatively close to our view of the Sun, making the sighting of these shooting stars a bit difficult. The best tike is in the early morning, towards the east near the horizon.
On June 15, there will be a New Moon, making this time the best to view faint stellar objects like nebulae and galaxies.
On June 21, the Summer Solstice occurs with the Sun directly over the Tropic of Cancer and the North Pole tipped toward it. Summer officially begins in the Northern Hemisphere!
The June Boötids meteor shower will occur between June 22 and July 2, peaking on June 27 with a minimal 1-to-2 meteors per hour.
On June 29, a Full Moon will occur. This first Full Moon of summer is sometimes referred to as the “Strawberry Moon,” “Rose Moon,” or “Honey Moon” by various groups.
Astronomy Update for June
By Sam Bishop