Anasazi Indians marked solstices with glyphs

Sacred monuments

Many structures around the world have been built to mark the solstices and equinoxes. One is found in the Chaco Canyon of Arizona, which was populated by the Anasazi people, the “ancient ones,” more than a millennium ago. On June 29, 1977, artist Anna Sofaer scaled a 430-foot butte to photograph two spiral petroglyphs carved into the wall. Three massive slabs of rock, each about 9 feet high, 6 feet wide, and 1 foot thick, leaned against the wall in front of the glyphs. It was noon when she noticed a “dagger” of light passing between two of the slabs and nearly bisecting the larger of the two glyphs. At the summer solstice a week earlier it would have bisected it precisely. A second beam marked the smaller glyph. She returned at the winter solstice and found the two beams “framed” the larger spiral. At the two equinoxes, one beam bisected the small spiral while the other marks the larger. This device is believed to be the only means American Indians used to mark the solstices and equinoxes.

Focus on the planets

Two events make this a memorable month for sky watchers. One is the transit of Venus on June 8. The last time Venus passed in front of the sun’s disk was in 1882. The other is comet NEAT which, although no longer visible to the naked eye, can be readily viewed by telescope among the stars of Ursa Major.

Mercury will be visible very low in the northwest shortly after sunset the last few nights of June.

Venus passes into the morning sky with its dramatic transit on the 8th of the month, where it can be spotted low in the east about a half-hour before sunrise after midmonth.

Mars is fairly well up on the northwest horizon, just to the lower left of Castor and Pollux, about an hour after sunset as the month opens. On June 19, Mars will form a nearly straight line with the twin stars of Gemini.

Jupiter is midway up on the southwestern horizon at dusk amid the stars of Leo the Lion. This will be a good month for viewing eclipses and other movements of Jupiter’s four major moons.

Saturn lies to the lower right of Mars early in June where it is far brighter than its rapidly dimming neighbor. Saturn will drop from sight in the sun’s glare during the latter half of the month.

Uranus in Aquarius and Neptune in Capricorn are accessible during the predawn hours with a good set of binoculars and a finder’s chart. A chart is available in the April issue of Sky & Telescope.

Pluto may possibly be spotted using the finder’s chart just mentioned and a minimum 8-inch telescope.

June events

1 Sunrise, 4:53 a.m.; sunset, 8:14 p.m. Look to the lower left of the moon tonight for bright Antares of the constellation Scorpio.

3 Full moon, 12:20 a.m. The full moon of June is called the Rose Moon, Flower Moon or Strawberry Moon. The moon is at perigee, or closest approach to Earth, today. The combination of full moon and perigee can lead to abnormally high tides.

6 Look to the west about an hour after sunset where Saturn shines brightly with Mars to its upper left. Castor and Pollux of Gemini are directly above.

8 The transit of Venus will be in progress in the New England area at sunrise and continues for a little over two hours. DANGER: Do not attempt to watch the transit directly with any optical aid as only a brief exposure can cause permanent eye damage. One source says that No. 14 welder’s glass gives good protection.

9 Moon in last quarter, 4:03 p.m.

17 New moon, 4:28p.m. The moon is at apogee, or farthest distance from the Earth, today.

19 The thin crescent moon is in the west with Mars to its upper left, Castor and Pollux to the upper right, and Saturn directly below.

20 Summer solstice, 8:57 p.m. The sun has reached its northernmost point above the celestial equator. The sun enters the astrological sign of Cancer at the solstice but, astronomically, is a few hours shy of entering Gemini. Since 1990, the sun has not quite left Taurus at the solstice, when astrology says it is entering Cancer, two constellations ahead.

23 St. John’s Eve when mid-summer was celebrated with great bonfires across England. You can celebrate by checking out the moon in close proximity to Jupiter in the west about an hour after sunset.

24 Moon in first quarter, 3:08 p.m.

30 Look for Venus low in the northeast about an hour before sunrise. Aldebaran is to the immediate lower right. After sunset see if you can spot Mercury low in the northwest with Castor, Pollux, and Mars strung out from right to left immediately above. Sunset, 4:52 a.m.; sunset, 8:25 p.m.

Clair Wood taught physics and chemistry for more than a decade at Eastern Maine Technical College in Bangor.