As the month when summer begins, June is sometimes considered the crowning month of the year~which makes it the perfect time for finding the starry crown in skies overhead.
The starry crown is an unusual constellation because all of the stars that make up its pattern are moving through space together. We can't tell that the stars are moving relative to one another~their movement is only discernible by sophisticated measurements of light. Most constellations are made up of stars that aren't moving together, so their only connection is that to us, they appear to make a pattern.
The brightest star in the crown is 'gemma' the gemstone, and you can find it by starting with the Big Dipper. Follow the arc of the Big Dipper's handle to the bright star Arcturus. Arcturus is unmistakable because it is the third brightest star in the sky, and it is orange-ish in color. From Arcturus, Gemma is the 2nd star up and to the left, a brilliant binary star adorning the center of the soft curve that is the starry crown, technically known as Corona Borealis.
The starry crown comes to its highest place in our sky every year at this time, reaching the zenith later this the month. In some traditions, this is the time of year for the deepest dreaming. So its fitting that this year, there are a lot of what we could call 'celestial superlatives' also happening:
*The planet Venus is coming to its greatest magnitude, which means it will be BRIGHTEST (June 12)
*The Sun is coming to its Solstice moment, which means it will be HIGHEST (June 21)
*Venus and Jupiter are coming to conjunction, which means they will be CLOSEST (June 30)
*And Earth is orbiting 'round to its aphelion, which means it is FURTHEST from the Sun (July 6)
Check out the Interlochen Public Radio website for the dates of these celestial superlatives, and check out the highest point in the sky for the starry crown, all month long.