Welcome to the Ontario Parks “Eyes on the Skies” series. This space (<– see what we did there?) will cover a wide range of astronomy topics with a focus on what can be seen from the pristine skies found in our provincial parks.
Heading outside? Here are our astronomical highlights for June, 2024:
The sun
The sun reaches its highest point in the sky on June 20 at 4:51 p.m.
This day is also known as the “Summer Solstice,” when we can enjoy the maximum amount of sunlight as the sun rises at 5:34 a.m. and sets at 9:20 p.m. (from central Ontario) giving us almost 15 hours and 46 minutes of light (see the March edition for more about solstices and equinoxes).
In Canada, the summer solstice around June 21 is also National Indigenous Peoples’ Day, in recognition and celebration of the unique heritage, diverse cultures, and outstanding contributions of the Indigenous peoples in Canada.
Sunrise and sunset times
The late sunsets in June provide people with the opportunity to enjoy spectacular sunsets.
| June 1 | June 15 | June 30 | |
| Sunrise | 5:38 a.m. | 5:34 a.m. | 5:38 a.m. |
| Midday | 1:23 p.m. | 1:26 p.m. | 1:29 p.m. |
| Sunset | 9:09 p.m. | 9:19 p.m. | 9:20 p.m. |
The moon
June’s lunar phases are as follows:
The planets
All of the planets are not well placed at the moment.
While Saturn does rise around 1:30 a.m., it doesn’t rise high above the horizon until the start of morning twilight. Stay tuned! As the summer progresses, the planets will become more visible in the late hours of the night.
Meteor showers
Meteor observing, especially in the dark skies of provincial parks, is one of the most enjoyable ways to get into astronomy.
You don’t need any special equipment other than your eyes!
A lounge chair, sleeping bag, and a friend are all welcome additions to enjoying the spectacle. If you take a look at our constellation charts, you can practice learning your constellations while you watch for the meteors.
A meteor shower occurs when the Earth enters the debris field of a comet that has long ago passed around the sun.
These bits of dust and grit, often no bigger than your thumbnail, enter the Earth’s atmosphere and burn up high above the ground (see our post on meteor showers for more information).
June is a relatively quiet month from a meteor shower perspective.
Nevertheless, observers are always able to see sporadic (random or unidentified shower) meteors as they may occur.
On any given night in the dark skies of provincial parks, you might see as many as five to 10 sporadic meteors per hour, especially after midnight.
What the blazes is going on with this star?
We have already had one incredible celestial treat (a Total Solar Eclipse this past April 8).
Then we had an incredible appearance of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) on May 10.
And we may have one more incredible cosmic event happening: a recurrent nova!
Nova means “new” such as Nova Scotia representing New Scotland. A stellar nova (or pleural novae) means a new star and, to astronomers hundreds of years ago not having the benefit of today’s understanding, new stars seen in the sky were thought to be just that – a new star.
Today we know that most of these new stars (or novae) are enormous outbursts of energy. Sometimes, albeit rarely, a really bright nova occurs, and we call those bright outbursts supernova.
Canadian astronomer Ian Shelton discovered one in a galaxy best seen in the southern hemisphere back in 1987, the remnants of which can still be observed today with high powered astronomical equipment.
However, depending on the specific situation, some nova can occur over and over again, thus the term recurrent nova. In the case of one star, T Coronae Borealis, a white dwarf star is pulling in material from a much more massive red giant star.
Over time, this material builds up, increasing the mass of the white dwarf star to the tipping point of thermonuclear explosion. This blast is what causes the star to increase as much as 1,500 times its previous brightness.
Based on recent observations over the past decade or so, it is believed that T Coronae Borealis (also known as the “Blaze Star”) will go nova again, increasing from magnitude 10 (just about the limit of a binocular’s visibility in dark skies) to around magnitude 2, the same brightness of Alphecca, the brightest star in Corona Borealis.
This event is expected to occur anytime between now and the fall. So the next time you are up camping in one of our parks, take a glance up at the sky.
Find the constellations of Hercules and Corona Borealis between the bright stars Arcturus (towards the west) and Vega (top right star of the summer triangle). Use the charts below to assist.
Who knows, you might be the first person on Earth to see the star erupt!
Featured constellations: heroes and serpents
This month we will discuss the constellations of Hercules, Ophiuchus and Serpens.
Ophiuchus and Serpens remind us of the ancient Greek legend for the origin of modern day medicine.
For all of his impressive tasks and great power, the constellation of Hercules is actually one of the smaller ones in the sky.
We also discuss the constellations Noondeshin Bemaadizid (the Exhausted Bather), which appears amid the stars of the Greek constellation of Hercules, and Madoodiswan (the Sweat Lodge), which appears amongst the same stars as the Greek constellation of Corona Borealis.
