| | June 11
Watch These 2 Planets:
Mercury and Mars | | | |
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 | | | View larger at EarthSky Community Photos. | Helio C. Vital captured Mercury and Mars over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 9, when they were about 7 degrees apart. Beginning around now, they should fit in a single binocular field. They'll be much closer - 0.2 degrees apart - on June 18. Thank you, Helio! Read more. | | |
| Watch these 2 planets: Mercury and Mars | | | They're not the brightest planets in the sky now, and they're visible only briefly after sunset. But - around June 18 - Mercury and Mars will have the closest conjunction of 2 planets for 2019. Read more. | | | IAU invites countries to name an exoplanet | | | Nearly 100 countries have already signed up to organize national campaigns, to provide the public with an opportunity to vote. The deadline is July 30 to express interest in organizing a national campaign. The IAU will announce results in December. Read more. | | | | | | | | | |
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|  | | Tonight and tomorrow … Moon and Spica | | Spica is the brightest star in Virgo the Maiden. Learn this star's place in starlore, here. | | | | | |
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 | | Lenticular clouds over Connemara, Ireland | | View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Wendy Jeffries captured rare lenticular clouds over a field in Clifden, Connemara, Ireland, earlier this month. See more photos of lenticular clouds - sometimes called UFO clouds - plus a word about how they form, here. | | |
