View Unique Celestial Phenomena and Nocturnal Glowing Clouds in June: Mars and Venus in Front of the Nativity Star Cluster

Czechs can look forward to two unique celestial phenomena in the first half of June. The bright planets Venus and Mars will be visible in front of the colorful star cluster M44 in the constellation Cancer, popularly called “The Manger” or “The Beehive”. Unusual nocturnal glowing clouds may also appear in the sky.

It is possible to see the constellation outside the cities with the naked eye, but you can admire it in its full beauty rather when looking through a small telescope (for example, in a telescope).

“The orange planet Mars will first be projected into the star cluster, which will be closest to its center on June 2, 2023, and will visually ‘merge’ with the cluster when viewed through a small telescope,” says Petr Horálek, spokesperson for the Physics Institute of the University of Silesia in Opava.

Mars and Venus in front of the Nativity scene | Source: With the consent of Petr Horálek / FÚ in Opava / Stellarium

​At that time, Mars will be a very bright object in the night sky visible even from cities. At first glance, it will appear that many “little stars” surround the planet.

​”An interesting situation will take place on June 9, when Mars (from the east) and bright Venus (from the west) will complement the cluster symmetrically from both sides, while both planets will be found approximately 3.5° from the center of the cluster, each on a different side. Extraordinary bright Venus will then appear less than a degree above the center of the cluster on June 13, 2023,” the institute says.

The mutual approach of the two planets with the Nativity scene will be possible to watch every June evening in the late hours of the night around half past eleven, very low above the northwestern horizon. At that time, night-glow clouds can also be visible, which photographers could also appreciate.

Nocturnal glowing clouds over the Hrádek pond (July 5, 2020) | Source: With the consent of Petr Horálek / FÚ in Opava

Night glowing clouds

You can see nightly glowing clouds in June and July. It is closely related to meteor dust as well as fluctuations in solar activity. According to Horálek, this will be significant this year and the upper layers of the earth’s atmosphere will have less stable conditions, which may cause less occurrence of these clouds than in previous years.

Nocturnal luminous clouds are caused by the glow of the Sun, which at certain times illuminates them from below. “They look like glowing cobwebs in the sky and sometimes they can offer a truly majestic spectacle,” Horálek points out.

Clouds are best seen between 10pm and midnight, or between 2am and 4am in the morning. Look to the north or between the northwest and northeast horizon.

Breathtaking footage of the lunar eclipse. Czechs could also watch it (5/2022):

TN.cz