Space and Astronomy

The Planets and Special Events

The Summer Solstice occurs Thursday June 20 at 10:04 p.m. This marks the beginning of Summer in the Northern Hemisphere. This is the moment that the Sun reaches it's furthest point north of the Celestial Equator.

A Public Star Party with telescopes provided by the Los Angeles Astronomical Society and the Los Angeles Sidewalk Astronomers will take place on the front lawn of the Griffith Observatory from 2 p.m. until 9:45 pm on Saturday June 15. .

Venus (Mag -3.7) is visible in the western sky just after sunset.

Jupiter is in conjunction with the Sun and is not visible this month.

Mars (Mag +1.5) very low to the eastern horizon just before sunrise.

Saturn (Mag +0.2) is visible in the southeast at sunset. Saturn's rings are tilted 17° in our direction.

Reprinted with permission, the information above is made available in the Griffith Observer , a monthly publication by the Griffith Observatory. For complete information on the Planets and other items related to Astronomy, please visit the Griffith Observatory Web Site.

The theory that our Sun is the center of the universe and our planets revolve around it was first documented by Nicolas Copernicus. The interesting thing is that Copernicus was a Catholic Priest and Philosopher, not an Astronomer. But he believed that God would have made the movements of the planets more simple than the previously documented theory (which was very complex). As we know today, Corpernicus was right !

• Want to see a Sattelite or the Space Station fly by ?
• Read about Solar Flares and Solar Wind
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• Astronomy Picture Of The Day