June nights are only about 10 hours long, so we need to make the most of our shorter viewing time.

The action starts high in the south tonight with Saturn in the constellation Virgo.

Saturn is bright and passes very close to a star named Porrima.

Porrima is noteworthy since it's a binary star system made up of two stars almost equally bright and nearly identical in color. This system is 39 light-years away from the Sun, and since you're going to be viewing nearby Saturn, check out Porrima while you're in the neighborhood.

Saturn is an easy target, but you will need higher magnification to resolve any detail in the rings, which are currently tilted about 7.5 degrees from edge on.

Small telescopes reveal hints of their position and tease with their beauty. Saturn's bright moon Titan can be seen by the keen-eyed as a stellar point beside the ringed beauty.

The moon can be found just left of the heart of Scorpius tonight.

The moon reaches full phase Wednesday and is known as the Strawberry Moon.

As night progresses, you'll notice the Milky Way rising in the south as a sweeping stream of stars. It's a stunning sight and one worth driving out to a darker rural area to behold. Most people living in cities can't admire the gorgeous Milky Way because light pollution interferes with the soft Milky Way glow.

The Milky Way has been mistaken for clouds in areas where light pollution is absent. It's just that incredible!

The Big Dipper sits in the northwestern sky and is tipped upside down. The Big Dip, as some sky-watchers refer to it, is a favorite constellation and one that is recognized by nearly everyone in the Northern Hemisphere.

You may get lucky and spot a few random satellites while you're out enjoying the warm evening sky show.

If you want to figure out what satellites you saw, just jot down the time and direction of their path and then look them up on heavens-above.com. It's fun and easy to do and could be a welcome summertime activity for the entire family.

The International Space Station will make a bright pass over South Texas early Wednesday morning. Begin your search toward the northwest at 5:26 a.m. It will gradually brighten and fly overhead at 5:30 a.m. while passing through the constellation Cygnus. It will fade in the southeast at 5:35 a.m.

This is the best ISS pass of the week, so try to get out and see it.

Next week we are going to try something a little different, so stay tuned for a neat surprise.


Email Becky Ramotowski  at skywatch@beckster .cotse.net. Skywatch appears Tuesdays.