Name: Astronomy Night at Chamberlin Observatory
Start: 2026-06-06T14:30:00-06:00
End: 2026-06-06T17:00:00-06:00
Location: Chamberlin Observatory

Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.

June 1:

🌖 The waning gibbous Strawberry Moon reaches Apogee, it’s farthest distance from the earth in its orbit at 406,369 km at 04:32 AM UTC

June 2:

👀 Look for Jupiter, Venus, and Mercury dancing around the twins of Gemini low in the western sky just after sunset.
🔭 Catch Messier 13, the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules as it reaches its highest point in the sky at around midnight.

June 3:

🖥️ Astrophotography Special Interest Group (ASIG) – General & Beginner Meeting: Free, members’ only virtual meeting via Zoom (check Slack and membership email for details: 7:00 PM
🔭 Look for Messier 12, the bright globular cluster in Ophiuchus, as it reaches its highest point in the sky at around midnight local time.

June 4:

🖥️ Standley Lake Stargazing: Weekly Livestream: Free Online program via Zoom: 6:00PM

June 5:

Astronomy in the Park - Photo by NPS — Astronomy in the Park – Photo by NPS

🔭 Astronomy in the Park: Half the Park is After Dark: Free, in-person program at Rocky Mountain National Park: 8:30 PM
👀 Catch Venus at highest altitude in evening sky, reaching a peak altitude of 27° above the horizon at sunset

June 6:

🔭 Astronomy Night with Northern Colorado Astronomical Society: Free, in-person event at Sylvan Dale Ranch (registration required): 9:00 PM
🔭 Astronomy Night with Colorado Springs Astronomical Society: Free, in-person event at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument: 9:00 PM
🔭 Look for Messier 10, another brilliant globular cluster in Ophiuchus, as it reaches its highest point in the sky at around midnight.

June 7:

🌖 The waning gibbous Strawberry Moon reaches Ascending Node, as it moves across the celestial equator from south to north at 12:19 AM

This Week’s Solar System Summary:

The Sun shifts from rising about 5:43 AM to 5:41 AM, while sunset moves from 8:16 PM to 8:20 PM, bringing Denver closer to the longest days of the year.
The Moon rises in the afternoon at the start of the week and shifts into the evening and overnight hours by the weekend, while moonset moves from the overnight hours into the morning.
Venus continues to dominate the evening sky, shining brilliantly in the west after sunset and setting between 11:10 PM and 11:20 PM.
Jupiter remains visible in the western evening sky but is becoming increasingly difficult to observe as it sinks deeper into twilight, setting between about 12:05 AM and 11:50 PM.
Mercury slowly improves in evening visibility late in the week, appearing very low in the western sky after sunset for observers with a flat, unobstructed horizon. Mars and Saturn remain low in the eastern dawn sky and are still difficult observing targets.
Uranus is now largely lost in evening twilight and poorly placed for observation.
Neptune rises before sunrise and remains a difficult telescopic target low in the morning sky.

This Week’s Meteoric Activity:

You can keep track of the activity of meteor showers as well as those beyond the limits of visual observing by visiting the NASA Meteor Shower Portal.

Anthelion (ANT): 1:00 AM in western Ophiuchus near θ Ophiuchi: About 2 per hour
June Bootids (JBO): 3:00–4:00 AM in Boötes near β Boötis (Nekkar): Less than 1 per hour
Daytime Arietids (ARI): Best detected before dawn low in the eastern sky near Aries: Less than 1 visible meteor per hour (strong radio/radar shower, poor visual rates)
ζ Perseids (ZPE): 3:00–4:00 AM low in the northeastern sky near Perseus: Less than 1 per hour