I AM SORRY I HAVE NOT BEEN BLOGGING LATELY!  I HAVE BEEN ON HOLIDAY IN EUROPE AND I HAVE TO TELL YOU I HAD SOME AMAZING STARGAZING NIGHTS OVER THERE!  I WAS AT A LITTLE ISLAND IN THE ADRIATIC CALLED LASTOVO AND WAS AMAZED BY THE NAKED EYE OBSERVATIONS I MADE!  THE MILK WAY WAS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL AND THERE WERE SO MANY CONSTELLATIONS IN VIEW THAT I CAN ONLY SEE WITH A TELESCOPE BACK HOME!  SO I URGE YOU TO HEAD OUT OF THE CITY LIGHTS IN THE DARKEST OF SPOTS YOU CAN LOOK AT SOME AMAZING THINGS IN THE NIGHT SKY THIS WEEKEND!!

A GREAT MID JUNE SOLAR SYSTEM LINE UP WILL BEGIN TODAY AND LAST WITH US FOR A FEW DAYS BUT YOU HAVE TO GET UP EARLY!  ABOUT 45 MINUTES BEFORE SUNRISE YOU CAN SPOT THE BRIGHT MORNING STAR VENUS IN THE EAST AND FAINTLY TO ITS UPPER LEFT IS THE PLANET MARS.  VENUS WILL BE TO THE LOWER RIGHT OF THE MOON.  THEN AS THE MOON TRACES THROUGH THE SKY ANOTHER PLANETS COMES INTO VIEW.  MERCURY WILL SHOW UP WELL BELOW THE MOON SO A VERY CLEAR HORIZON WILL BE A NECESSITY IN ORDER TO SEE IT.  THEN AT DAWN ON SUNDAY MORNING MAKE SURE TO SEE NOT ONLY THE PLANETS...BUT GRAB A SET OF BINOCULARS AND LOOK WELL TO THE LEFT OF VENUS FOR A CLUSTER OF STARS CALLED THE PLEIADES, THEN TO VENUS' LOWER LEFT WILL BE THE THIN CRESCENT MOON AND MERCURY.

HERE COMES SUMMER!!!!  THE SUMMER SOLSTICE AND THE FIRST OFFICIAL KICK OFF TO THE NEW SEASON ON OUR CALENDER ARRIVES AT 1:46 IN THE MORNING ON SUNDAY.  THE SOLSTICE OCCURS WHEN THE SUN STANDS FARTHEST IN THE SKY DURING THE YEAR.  IT IS ALSO THE LONGEST DAY OF THE YEAR, SO MOST OF THE COUNTRY WILL SEE 14 HOURS OF SUNLIGHT OR MORE.  SATURDAY NIGHT IS OFTEN CALLED THE MIDSUMMER NIGHT AND IS THE SHORTEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR.

IF YOU CAN GET OUT OF THE CITY DURING THE MONTH OF JUNE AND OUT INTO THE DARK DEEP NIGHT SKY, THE MILKY WAY ARCS BEAUTIFULLY ACROSS THE HEAVENS FROM NORTH TO SOUTH.  THE GREEKS AND THE ROMANS THROUGH THIS ARC OF LIGHT LOOKED LIKE SPILLED MILK.  OF COURSE THE MILKY WAY IS FAR FROM SPILT MILK BUT IS THE COMBINED GLOW OF COUNTLESS STARS IN THE DISK OF OUR GALAXY!

FOR MY STARGAZING TIP OF THE WEEK WHEN YOU ARE STARTING OUT IN ASTRONOMY THERE IS A LOT TO LEARN SO RANSACK YOUR PUBLIC LIBRARY!  THIS IS A BEGINNERS MOST IMPORTANT TOOL.  LOOK THROUGH THE ASTRONOMY SHELF FOR STARTER BOOKS THAT GIVE BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF THE NIGHT SKY LIKE CONSTELLATIONS AND OBSERVING TIPS THEN GRADUALLY MOVE UP TO HOW EVERYTHING CHANGES THROUGH THE NIGHT AND SEASONS.  SO START SIMPLY, GO TO THE LIBRARY, AND DO SOME RESEARCH THE OLD FASHIONED WAY!

YOU CAN ALSO CATCH MY UPDATES BY FOLLOWING ME AT TWITTER.COM!  I AM @JURICAPRESTON ON TWITTER SO JOIN TODAY AND GET THE VERY LATEST TIPS ON THE NIGHT SKY!