Latest / Star Trails: From Backyard Astronomy to Cosmic Wonder / Sunspots, Moon Tricks, and Meteors at Dawn

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Sunspots, Moon Tricks, and Meteors at Dawn · Star Trails: From Backyard Astronomy to Cosmic Wonder

• 0:07
  Howdy Star Gazers and welcome to this episode
• 0:10
  of Star Trails. Drew here, and I'll be your guide
• 0:14
  to the night sky for the week starting June 8th
• 0:17
  through the 14th. This week we take a look at
• 0:21
  the Sun's roughly 11 -year cycle in which its
• 0:25
  magnetic field flips, bringing enhanced levels
• 0:28
  of solar activity. We'll also check out a daytime
• 0:32
  meteor shower, and of course this month's full
• 0:36
  moon, which is a little extra special this year.
• 0:39
  Whether you're tuning in from the backyard, the
• 0:42
  balcony, or just your imagination, I'm glad you're
• 0:45
  here. So find a cozy spot, let your eyes adjust,
• 0:49
  and let's see what the sky holds for us this
• 0:51
  week. The night of June 10th marks the appearance
• 0:57
  of this month's full moon, the strawberry moon,
• 1:00
  and this one is unique for a couple of reasons.
• 1:04
  The name of this full moon comes from Native
• 1:07
  American tribes, particularly the Algonquin,
• 1:10
  who used the June full moon as a signal to gather
• 1:14
  ripening strawberries. It's not about the moon's
• 1:17
  color, but rather the timing of the harvest season.
• 1:22
  This year's strawberry moon is notable for being
• 1:25
  the lowest full moon in 18 years. Because of
• 1:29
  the moon's orbital path and its position relative
• 1:32
  to the Earth and Sun, it will appear unusually
• 1:35
  close to the horizon, and never get more than
• 1:38
  30 degrees or so at its highest point over the
• 1:42
  horizon. Remember, if you hold your fist out
• 1:45
  at arm's length, that represents about 10 degrees
• 1:48
  in the sky. When the moon is near the horizon,
• 1:52
  our brains perceive it as larger than when it's
• 1:55
  higher in the sky, a phenomenon known as the
• 1:58
  moon illusion. So on the evening of June the
• 2:01
  10th, as the strawberry moon rises in the southeast,
• 2:05
  it will appear enormous and golden -hued creating
• 2:08
  a breathtaking sight. For the best experience,
• 2:12
  find a location with an unobstructed view of
• 2:15
  the eastern horizon. The moon will rise about
• 2:18
  8 .30 p .m. local time, so be ready with your
• 2:21
  camera to capture this stunning event. Early
• 2:25
  risers may want to catch it just before sunrise,
• 2:28
  as it will be setting in the southwest just before
• 2:31
  dawn. This week offers an array of planetary
• 2:35
  sightings for both evening and early morning
• 2:38
  observers, including a close encounter with Jupiter
• 2:41
  and the elusive Mercury. Starting around June
• 2:45
  12th, Mercury becomes visible low in the western
• 2:49
  sky about 45 minutes after sunset. It reaches
• 2:53
  its best evening elongation mid -month, offering
• 2:56
  a brief but worthwhile viewing opportunity. Tonight,
• 3:00
  June 8th, Mercury will be just two degrees north
• 3:03
  of Jupiter, providing a chance to see both planets
• 3:07
  in close proximity shortly after sunset. Visible
• 3:11
  in the early evenings during the first week of
• 3:13
  June, Jupiter shines low in the western sky after
• 3:17
  sunset. However, it quickly descends and becomes
• 3:21
  lost in the sun's glare as the month progresses.
• 3:25
  Mars, the red planet, graces our western sky
• 3:28
  for a couple of hours after sunset throughout
• 3:31
  June. It's gradually descending lower each evening
• 3:34
  but remains a prominent feature in the constellation
• 3:37
  Leo. Notably, next week Mars will pass close
• 3:42
  to Regulus, the brightest star in Leo, appearing
• 3:46
  about a half a degree apart, roughly the width
• 3:49
  of the full moon. Morning observers are still
• 3:53
  being dazzled by our brightest planet, Venus.
• 3:56
  It rises about two hours before the Sun and dominates
• 4:00
  the eastern pre -dawn sky throughout June. It's
• 4:03
  a brilliant beacon that's hard to miss and remains
• 4:06
  the brightest object in the sky after the moon.
• 4:10
  Saturn rises in the southeastern sky around 3am
• 4:13
  in early June. It's a bit fainter than Venus,
• 4:16
  but still noticeable. For those with telescopes,
• 4:21
  Uranus and Neptune are also in the morning sky.
• 4:24
  Near the end of the month, into the middle of
• 4:27
  July, Neptune will appear within one degree of
• 4:30
  Saturn, making it a convenient target for those
• 4:33
  already observing the ringed planet. Be sure
• 4:36
  to consult with a star chart or app to determine
• 4:39
  the exact locations of these icy gas giants.
• 4:44
  For an easy deep sky object, check out the butterfly
• 4:47
  cluster, Messier number 6. M6 is an open star
• 4:53
  cluster located in the constellation Scorpius.
• 4:56
  Its name comes from its resemblance to a butterfly,
• 5:00
  with stars forming patterns akin to wings. This
• 5:04
  cluster is approximately 1 ,600 light -years
• 5:07
  away from Earth and contains several dozen stars,
• 5:11
  including some bright blue giants. This cluster
• 5:15
  is best viewed in mid -June. Look toward the
• 5:18
  southern horizon after 1130 PM. The cluster will
• 5:22
  be about 20 degrees above the horizon at its
• 5:25
  peak. M6 has an apparent magnitude of 4 .2, making
• 5:31
  it challenging to see with the naked eye under
• 5:33
  light -polluted skies. It's easily visible through
• 5:37
  binoculars. To locate it, find the constellation
• 5:40
  Scorpius and look near the Stinger stars, Shala
• 5:45
  and Lasath. From there, scan slightly northwest
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  to spot the cluster. The Areatid meteor shower
• 6:01
  is happening right now, but you're not likely
• 6:05
  to see it. Most meteor showers are best viewed
• 6:08
  under the cover of night, but the Areatids are
• 6:12
  a bit of an oddball. They're a daytime meteor
• 6:15
  shower. Peaking around June the 7th each year,
• 6:19
  the Areatids originate from the constellation
• 6:22
  Aries and are known for their high meteor rates.
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  However, because they occur during daylight hours,
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  they're notoriously difficult to observe with
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  the naked eye. Despite that, there's a brief
• 6:36
  window just before dawn when you might catch
• 6:38
  a glimpse. For those of us in North America,
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  that means heading out around 4 .30am or so Looking
• 6:45
  eastward, the radiant point in Aries rises above
• 6:49
  the horizon around this time of year, offering
• 6:52
  a slim chance to see meteors streaking across
• 6:55
  the pre -dawn sky. Radar and radio observations
• 7:00
  have detected up to 200 meteors per hour during
• 7:04
  the Ariatids peak, making them one of the most
• 7:07
  prolific meteor showers, just not for visual
• 7:11
  observers like us. We've talked about meteors
• 7:21
  planets and a full moon But now we're turning
• 7:25
  our gaze towards the star that makes it all possible
• 7:29
  the Sun Lately the Sun's been putting on quite
• 7:33
  a show throwing off solar flares launching clouds
• 7:37
  of charged particles into space and Lighting
• 7:40
  up the night with spectacular auroras that reached
• 7:44
  far farther south than usual Auroras have been
• 7:48
  spotted in states like Alabama and even parts
• 7:51
  of Texas, not exactly your standard aurora country.
• 7:57
  You may remember around this time last year when
• 8:00
  I reported on catching aurora here in my home
• 8:02
  state, a phenomenon I thought I'd never see here
• 8:06
  in the Deep South. So what's going on up there?
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  Well, the short answer is we're heading into
• 8:14
  the peak of the Sun's 11 -year activity cycle.
• 8:18
  And in this episode, I want to unpack what that
• 8:21
  really means, not just for the sky watchers among
• 8:24
  us, but for ham radio operators, satellite tech,
• 8:28
  power grids, and really anyone with a smartphone.
• 8:33
  Let's start with the fundamentals. the Sun goes
• 8:36
  through a natural cycle of magnetic activity
• 8:39
  that repeats roughly every 11 years. Interestingly,
• 8:44
  over that roughly 11 -year period, the Sun's
• 8:47
  magnetic field undergoes a complete flip, meaning
• 8:51
  the Sun's north and south magnetic poles switch
• 8:54
  places. This cycle influences the number of sunspots,
• 8:59
  dark, cooler areas on the Sun's surface caused
• 9:02
  by magnetic activity. At the beginning of a cycle
• 9:06
  called the solar minimum, the sun is relatively
• 9:09
  quiet. You might go weeks without seeing a single
• 9:12
  sunspot. But as the cycle ramps up, those magnetic
• 9:16
  fields become more active, twisting and snapping
• 9:20
  in powerful ways. This leads to the appearance
• 9:23
  of more sunspots and more solar flares and coronal
• 9:28
  mass ejections, or CMEs. These are massive bursts
• 9:33
  of charged particles and magnetic fields hurled
• 9:36
  into space. Eventually we reach the solar maximum,
• 9:42
  the peak of activity, when the Sun's surface
• 9:44
  is crawling with sunspots and popping off flares
• 9:48
  and CMEs on a regular basis. Then gradually things
• 9:52
  calm back down into the next solar minimum, and
• 9:55
  the whole dance starts again. Right now, as we
• 10:00
  speak in June 2025, we're approaching the solar
• 10:03
  maximum. In fact, this cycle, known as Solar
• 10:07
  Cycle 25, is shaping up to be one of the more
• 10:11
  intense in recent memory. Some scientists think
• 10:14
  we may see activity levels not reached since
• 10:17
  the late 1990s, or even the peak of the so -called
• 10:21
  Space Weather Superstorm era of the early 2000s.
• 10:26
  When a CME or solar flare is aimed toward Earth,
• 10:30
  it slams into our planet's magnetic field. Most
• 10:34
  of the time, we're well shielded. Our magnetic
• 10:37
  field does a pretty good job deflecting all that
• 10:40
  charged plasma. But during strong solar storms,
• 10:44
  the energy overwhelms our magnetic defenses and
• 10:48
  flows into the atmosphere near the poles, where
• 10:51
  it excites oxygen and nitrogen molecules. That's
• 10:55
  what creates those famous green and red ribbons
• 10:58
  in the sky, the aurora borealis in the north
• 11:02
  and aurora australis in the south. When the storm
• 11:07
  is especially powerful, the auroral oval expands.
• 11:11
  That's how we get auroras far south of the usual
• 11:14
  high -latitude zones. A couple of months ago,
• 11:18
  folks as far south as Arizona, Georgia, and even
• 11:21
  parts of Mexico saw northern lights with the
• 11:25
  naked eye. Now, if you're an amateur radio operator,
• 11:29
  or ham, you're probably already tracking solar
• 11:33
  activity. For folks in the amateur radio community,
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  the sun's cycle isn't just academic. It can make
• 11:40
  or break the ability to make contact around the
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  globe. When I became a ham radio operator, we
• 11:47
  were coming out of a solar maximum, and I was
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  able to talk to other hams all over the world
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  on my 100 watt transceiver. As we approached
• 11:56
  the solar minimum some years ago, the bands seemingly
• 12:00
  went dead. Here's the science in a nutshell.
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  When solar activity is high, the Sun pumps out
• 12:07
  more ultraviolet and x -ray radiation. That radiation
• 12:12
  hits Earth's upper atmosphere, specifically the
• 12:15
  ionosphere, and charges it up, creating layers
• 12:19
  of ionized gas that can reflect radio waves back
• 12:23
  to the surface. That reflection allows radio
• 12:27
  signals to bounce around the world, especially
• 12:29
  on certain high -frequency bands like 10, 15,
• 12:33
  and 20 meters. Essentially, your signal bounces
• 12:37
  off the upper atmosphere and lands on the other
• 12:40
  side of the planet. The ionosphere acts as a
• 12:44
  powerful mirror and hams can chat with stations
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  across oceans using just a modest rig and a simple
• 12:51
  wire antenna. Using low bandwidth modes like
• 12:56
  Morse code and some of the newer digital protocols
• 12:59
  intended for weak signal work, communications
• 13:02
  can be copied even farther away. But there is
• 13:06
  a flip side. When solar storms get too strong,
• 13:10
  they can actually overload the ionosphere, causing
• 13:13
  rapid changes in its density. That leads to signal
• 13:17
  fading, distortion, or complete blackouts, especially
• 13:21
  on lower frequencies. So for ham operators, it's
• 13:25
  a bit of a Goldilocks situation. A little solar
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  activity... Great, a lot is amazing, and too
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  much all at once means it's time to grab a book
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  and wait it out. The sun's temper tantrums don't
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  just affect auroras and radio enthusiasts. They
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  also impact commercial aviation, GPS, communications
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  satellites, and even the electrical grid. A strong
• 13:52
  enough geomagnetic storm can induce electric
• 13:55
  currents and long -distance power lines. potentially
• 13:59
  damaging transformers and causing blackouts.
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  Airlines sometimes reroute polar flights during
• 14:06
  solar storms to reduce radiation exposure and
• 14:09
  to avoid radio blackouts. Satellite operators
• 14:12
  monitor solar flare alerts because high -energy
• 14:16
  particles can fry electronics or interfere with
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  navigation signals. Even your smartphone can
• 14:23
  feel the effects. If GPS seems a little less
• 14:26
  reliable, or satellite -based weather apps are
• 14:30
  lagging, the sun might be to blame. But for most
• 14:34
  of us, all this activity is a reminder that we're
• 14:37
  riding around a very dynamic star. If you're
• 14:41
  a stargazer hoping to catch auroras, keep an
• 14:44
  eye on the KP index, which is a measure of geomagnetic
• 14:48
  activity. When it hits 6 or higher, auroras are
• 14:52
  likely to reach mid -latitudes. Apps like Aurora
• 14:56
  Alerts or websites like SpaceWeather .com can
• 15:00
  give real -time forecasts. And if you're a ham,
• 15:05
  now's the time to dust off your HF rig and make
• 15:08
  some DX contacts that stands for long distance.
• 15:12
  The bands have been hot for more than a year
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  now, and we're just along for the ride. If the
• 15:23
  stars spoke to you this week, or if a question's
• 15:25
  been on your mind, I'd love to hear it. Visit
• 15:28
  our website, StarTrails .Show, where you can
• 15:31
  contact me and explore past episodes. Be sure
• 15:35
  to follow us on Mastodon, Blue Sky, and YouTube.
• 15:39
  Links are in the show notes. Until we meet again
• 15:42
  beneath the stars, clear skies, everyone.