Buresh

Buresh Blog: Hot late spring/early summer but finally at least some rain

By Michael Buresh
By Michael Buresh

June 11, 2019 — May turned dry on us.... & hot.  Jacksonville finally broke - on Mon., June 10th - a streak of 17 straight days 90+ with 23 for the year already (annual avg. is 82 days). The drought monitor map (updated weekly every Thu.) shows a dramatic increase in the "abnormally" dry area.

The "wet season" usually kicks in during June but can range anywhere from mid May to mid to late June as indicated by the last 10 years.

The wet season accounts - on avg. - for more than half of Jacksonville's annual rainfall.

If & when the clouds part enough, enjoy a good show put on by Jupiter.  Due to its "close" proximity, you will even be able to make out 4 of the larger moons by simply using  binoculars or, of course, a telescope. Night skies below + Jupiter nfo: "SkyandTelescope"

 

June 10 (all night): Jupiter arrives at opposition, rising in the east at sunset (“opposite” the Sun) and staying up all night. Throughout the month, the majestic planet will be somewhat brighter than in the past five years.

 

June 15 (night): The waxing gibbous Moon, Jupiter, and Antares form a triangle in the southeast shortly after sunset.

 

June 17 (dusk): Look low toward the west-northwest after sunset and tease Mercury and Mars out of the gloaming. The two planets, a mere ½° apart, stay less than 2° apart for a couple of evenings prior and several evenings afterward.

 

June 18 (evening): The Moon, one day past full, and Saturn rise in tandem 1° apart. The Moon actually covers Saturn from some locations in the Southern Hemisphere.

 

June 21: Northern summer begins at the solstice, 11:54 a.m. EDT. It’s the shortest night of the year in this hemisphere.

 

June 23 (dusk): Mercury appears its farthest from the Sun, 25° away. Look for it low in the west about 45 minutes after sunset. Pollux and Castor, in Gemini, are to its right.

 

June 30 (dawn): A thin crescent Moon rises shortly before sunrise, cradled in the Hyades and below the Pleiades.

 

July 2 (day): A total solar eclipse occurs along a narrow band crossing parts of the Pacific Ocean, northern Chile, and central Argentina. It’s the first since the “Great American Eclipse” in 2017. Much of the rest of South America, a small section of Central America, and some Pacific islands will see a partial solar eclipse — but not anywhere in North America.

 

July 4: Earth is at aphelion, its farthest from the Sun for 2019, at a distance of 94,513,221 miles (2% more than average).

 

July 9 (all night): Saturn arrives at opposition, meaning it’s opposite the Sun in the sky. It rises at sunset and sets at sunrise. The magnificent ringed planet is upper left of the Teapot in Sagittarius and just below the Teaspoon asterism.

 

Moon Phases

New Moon: June 2, 6:02 a.m. EDT

First Quarter: June 10, 1:59 a.m. EDT

Full Moon: June 17, 4:31 a.m. EDT (Strawberry Moon; called Rose Moon in Europe)

Last Quarter: June 25, 5:46 a.m. EDT

Cox Media Group

Most Read