Lunar eclipses, visible comets, strong meteor showers and picturesque planetary conjunctions are rare celestial delights for any sky watcher. Even rarer is when they all make an appearance in the same month, as will occur in June. Grab those binoculars and follow this sky watcher into the night sky.

Summer solsticeThe clock may say night, but darkness in June comes late and leaves early as we approach the summer solstice June 21, when the sun reaches its highest point in the noon sky. Sunset will occur at 9:11 p.m., sunrise at 5:24 a.m., but sky watchers may rejoice that from June 21 until the first day of winter, nights grows longer.

Planets at sunsetJune offers spectacular planetary action in the evening sky. That startling bright, shimmering light in the west is neither a plane coming in for a landing nor a UFO checking us out. It’s the second rock from the sun, Venus, climbing ever higher above the western horizon each evening.

Venus, Mars and Saturn lie along a line extending from Venus up and to the left of the bright planet. On June 6, ruddy red Mars will meet in conjunction with Leo the Lion’s brightest star, blue-white Regulus. The contrasting colors make a spectacular sight in a pair of binoculars, and are apparent to the eye.

Follow Venus through the month as it moves from the constellation Gemini, where it aligns with the bright stars Castor and Pollux, into Cancer the Crab. On June 14, a crescent moon joins Venus. Passing just above the Beehive star cluster June 19 and 20, the planet will move into Leo where it will finish the month even brighter than the beginning.

Meteor watchKites and fireworks greet summer beachgoers in the Northwest. As if to herald the arrival of summer beach traditions, celestial fireworks will emanate from a stellar kite flying high in the northwest after dark.

The arc in the handle of the Big Dipper points to Arcturus, the bright star at the base of the kite-shaped constellation Bootes. Meteors, brightly glowing streaks of flaming dust and stone, will fly from this region of the sky on the night of June 23. Dormant from 1927 to 1998 when it returned spectacularly with 100 meteors per hour, the Bootid meteor shower may live up to predictions that activity will increase in 2010. We must watch and see.

Comet McNaughtThe constellation Perseus rises in the northeast around midnight in June and climbs high into the sky before morning twilight. Its star-studded location in the northern Milky Way invites many to stay up late to view its wonders. This month, the sight of a naked-eye comet sporting a tail makes a great reward for anyone who stays up late to view this region of sky. View Comet McNaught under a moonless sky from June 7 through 16.

Partial lunar eclipseGetting up early or staying up late to see meteor showers and comets is good practice for viewing the first lunar eclipse visible from the United States in more than two years. One-half of the moon will disappear in this partial eclipse beginning at 3:17 a.m. June 26. Mid-eclipse occurs at 4:38 a.m. with the moon setting one hour later while still partially eclipsed, as viewed from the Pacific Northwest.

Bob Duke is a local amateur astronomer, astronomy educator and weekly contributor to The Daily Astorian.