June 23-26, 2025 Sky Watch: Venus Morning Star, Mars in Leo, Saturn-Moon Worth Watching
"The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff," Carl Sagan said. And that's profound enough without adding exclamation points to everything.
Here's the truth about this week: The summer solstice has passed, and frankly, the sky looks pretty much the same as it did last week. Venus is still doing her morning thing, Mars is still hanging out in Leo, and Saturn is still there being Saturn. But you know what? That consistency is actually kind of beautiful. These aren't flash-in-the-pan celestial events - they're the reliable, ongoing cosmic rhythms that have been keeping humans company for millennia.
Sometimes the best stargazing happens when you stop waiting for something "spectacular" and just... look up.
Venus continues her role as the Morning Star, and honestly, she's been doing this exact same thing for weeks now. She's not suddenly more exciting than she was last week, but here's the thing - she doesn't need to be. Venus is reliably, consistently gorgeous, rising 2-3 hours before sunrise and outshining everything else in the pre-dawn sky.
Speaking of Venus, today June 23 marks the birthday of Nicholas Shackleton, the geologist whose atmospheric research helped us better understand how different gases behave in planetary environments - knowledge that extends far beyond Earth to worlds like our brilliant morning companion.
Venus's atmosphere is 96.5% carbon dioxide, creating what scientists call a runaway greenhouse effect. This means the planet traps heat from the sun so effectively that surface temperatures reach 900 degrees Fahrenheit. So while Venus appears as this beautiful, serene beacon in our morning sky, she's actually a showcase of extreme planetary physics.
It's a fascinating reminder that sometimes the most beautiful things in the night sky are the most inhospitable up close.
Pre-dawn, about 2–3 hours before sunrise | low on the eastern horizon
The waning crescent moon continues its monthly dance with Saturn, and yes, they'll be relatively close on June 23 and 24. Saturn's rings are still tilted beautifully for telescope viewing. The moon will look like a thin crescent near Saturn in Aquarius. It's pretty, peaceful, and exactly the kind of thing you might enjoy if you happen to be awake anyway.
Pre-dawn, about 1-2 hours before sunrise | eastern sky in Aquarius
Mars is still in Leo, still looking distinctly red among the lion's stars, still visible in the early evening. The thing about Mars in Leo is that it's actually quite beautiful if you take the time to notice - that color contrast, the way the red planet fits into the constellation's pattern. It's not flashy, but it's genuine.
Early evening | western sky
The Milky Way core continues its seasonal appearance in the southeast, and if you have dark skies, it continues to be genuinely breathtaking. There's something to be said for the Milky Way's reliability. City lights permitting, it's there, night after night, this river of ancient light stretching across the sky. No special dates to remember, no precise timing required.
Late evening through dawn, weather permitting | Southeast
Here's what I love about late June astronomy - it teaches you the universe doesn't operate on our need for constant novelty. The same Venus that dazzled ancient navigators is the one lighting up your morning sky. The same Saturn that fascinated Galileo is the one you can see through your backyard telescope.
There's profound beauty in that continuity. You don't need a rare eclipse or planetary alignment to justify looking up. Sometimes the best stargazing happens on the most ordinary nights, when you stop waiting for something "special" and start appreciating what's always been there.
Climate Change Is Shrinking Space For Satellites To Orbit
Arctic Is Now Releasing Carbon Dioxide Instead Of Storing It
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
US Air Force suspends SpaceX rocket project on Pacific atoll, report says
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Air Force has suspended plans it had proposed with Elon Musk's SpaceX to test hypersonic rocket cargo deliveries from a remote Pacific atoll, according to a report this week in Stars and Stripes, an independent publication of the U.S. military. The suspension came after Reuters reported that biologists and experts said the project would harm many seabirds that nest at the wildlife refuge on the Johnston Atoll, an unincorporated U.S. territory nearly 800 miles (1,300 km) southwest of Hawaii. The Air Force had said it would undertake an environmental assessment of the project, but publication of a draft assessment was delayed after opposition to the plan by environmental groups. The Air Force and SpaceX did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Air Force is exploring alternative locations for the program, a spokesperson of the military branch told the Stars and Stripes newspaper in story published on Thursday. The program would use commercial rockets, such as those made by SpaceX, although the Air Force has not announced private partners. It would test landing rocket re-entry vehicles designed to deliver up to 100 tons of cargo to anywhere on Earth within about 90 minutes. The program would be a breakthrough for military logistics by making it easier to move supplies quickly into distant locations. But it could be too much for the island's 14 species of tropical birds to withstand, according to biologists and experts who have worked on the one-square-mile (2.6 square km) atoll, part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. SpaceX's activities have affected protected birds elsewhere. A SpaceX launch of its Starship rocket in Boca Chica, Texas, last year involved a blast that destroyed nests and eggs of plover shorebirds, landing the company of billionaire Musk in legal trouble and leading him to remark jokingly that he would refrain from eating omelets for a week to compensate.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Nasal COVID Vax Shows Promise in Phase 1 Clinical Trial
CINCINNATI, July 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- During the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists learned that the critical path to infection started with the SARS-CoV-2 virus invading the nasal tissues of its victims, then causing millions of deaths by spreading through the body and robbing the sickest people of their ability to breathe. While the traditional way to administer protection has been to inject vaccines into the bloodstream, many experts called for developing a nasally delivered vaccine as a potentially more-effective approach. Now, encouraging results are in from the first human clinical trial to be conducted in the United States of a nasal COVID vaccine. Findings from the study led by an expert at Cincinnati Children's were published July 4, 2025, in Science Advances. "A single dose of this vaccine (CVXGA) was well tolerated. It generated a wide spectrum of specific immune responses including mucosal and systemic immune responses. Those who received the highest dose of the vaccine showed significantly lower rates of symptomatic COVID-19 infection," says the study's lead author, Paul Spearman, MD, a long-time leader in vaccine research and vice chair for clinical and translational research and education at Cincinnati Children's. The vaccine is made by the Georgia-based company CyanVac LLC, which also funded the clinical trial. Based on the promising data generated from this phase 1 trial, two larger clinical studies involving more people are underway (NCT05736835 and NCT06742281). If these trials also prove successful, the CVXGA vaccine could join four other nasal COVID vaccines approved in other countries: two in China, one in Russia, and another in India. Why is a nasal vaccine needed? While the total number of deaths from COVID has declined far from the peak pandemic years, the virus has not disappeared. In fact, 663 Americans died of COVID in the 28 days ended June 15, 2025. Those deaths (which in one month exceeded the combined deaths of the three deadliest plane crashes since 2022) accounted for 67% of the 987 total deaths worldwide reported to the World Health Organization. India (101 deaths) was the only other nation reporting more than 100 COVID deaths in this timeframe, and its population is more than four times larger than the US. The wealthy Western nation Sweden reported 22 deaths. Since the pandemic began, the virus has mutated several times. This has required adjusting the vaccine and suggests that annual re-vaccination may be needed to prevent another pandemic. A nasal vaccine could prove both more effective medically and more tolerable for young children and adults who may fear needles. "There is a need for improved COVID vaccines that offer more complete and durable protection," Spearman says. "A nasal vaccine has the potential to block SARS-CoV-2 at its mucosal entry site and to reduce transmission of the virus to others." How effective was the nasal vaccine? The clinical trial included 72 people who received vaccinations, with ages ranging from 12 to 53. A total of 61 participants completed the entire trial. During the period of the trial from September 2021 to May 2023, various waves of SARS-CoV-2 variant infections emerged in the US. Participants were divided among four groups. One group received a low dose of the vaccine, which served as a control group. The other three higher dose groups included one group of adults that had never been infected or had not been vaccinated recently; a group of adults that had been recently vaccinated with a previous mRNA vaccine; and a group of teens that also had been vaccinated. Overall, about 25% of recipients reported having a runny nose after the vaccine; 8% reported nausea. None had a fever. The researchers found evidence that the vaccine was absorbed in the nasal tissues, and that it generated statistically significant antibody responses, as intended. CVXGA1 produced a combined 51.9% mucosal antibody response rate across the three higher dose groups, compared to just 21.4% in the lower dose group. The low-dose group (Group 1, enrolled from September 2021 to February 2022) had the highest overall COVID-19 infection rate: 73.3%. The other three groups had infection rates ranging from 11.1% to 22.2%. None of those found to be infected required hospital care. The results suggest that the vaccine reduced the risk of infection by at least 67% compared to never being vaccinated before. However, definitive proof of efficacy will require larger trials designed specifically for this purpose. What's next? By design, a phase 1 clinical trial involves low numbers of participants. However, the results were encouraging enough to recommend moving ahead with larger clinical trials. The largest of the two ongoing trials (NCT06742281) seeks to enroll up to 10,016 participants by mid-2026 with the study completed by mid-2027. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
New York Times
4 hours ago
- New York Times
Beyond the Light Show:The Effects of Fireworks on Animals and People
The rockets, explosions and cascading colors of fireworks are a staple of celebrations throughout the world, whether at the Fourth of July, Diwali or New Year's Eve. But while the clamor of light and sound brings out cheers from revelers, fireworks can cause panic in animals. They also leave behind trails of pollution that take a lingering toll on the environment and people. Here is what to know about the harm fireworks cause and recommendations from experts on how people can celebrate while reducing the impact. A Stress for Animals The intense, erratic sounds and lights from fireworks frighten animals, both wild and domesticated. Fear and stress responses have been documented in pets, zoo animals and wildlife. Wild animals may flee when fireworks start: Weather radars have recorded masses of birds taking flight, and studies have shown fleeing by sea lions and seals. This rush to escape costs the animals energy and can lead to longer-term damage, said Bill Bateman, a professor of ecology at Curtin University in Australia and the author on a review of global research on the impact of fireworks on the environment. The animals may abandon habitats completely, or return with less energy for regular survival. These effects are worse when fireworks occur during migration and breeding seasons. Independence Day in the United States, for example, falls in the breeding season for many coastal birds. Shorebirds are particularly at risk because of their proximity to fireworks and beach crowds, said Nicole Michel, director of quantitative science at the National Audubon Society. Birds frightened by fireworks may abandon their nests, leaving chicks or eggs behind and exposed to threats like predators. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
