June 2025 Celestial Events: Strawberry Moon, Arietid Meteor Shower, and Asteroid 2024 YR4 Update

June 2025 offers a spectacular array of celestial events for stargazers. The month begins with Venus shining as the Morning Star in the east before dawn, though it dims slightly as it moves away from Earth. The Arietid meteor shower peaks during the day, while the bright star Vega, the fifth brightest in the night sky, dominates the northeast after dark. Vega is part of the Summer Triangle, along with Altair and Deneb, and the Milky Way becomes increasingly visible, arching across the sky from southeast to northeast by late June. The full "Strawberry Moon" rises on June 11 at 3:44 AM EDT (0744 GMT), appearing slightly smaller and dimmer as a "micro moon" due to its distance from Earth. The name originates from Native American Algonquian tribes, marking the strawberry harvest season. The moon will appear yellow or orange near the horizon due to atmospheric scattering. Key planetary events include Mars passing close to the star Regulus on June 16-17, and the June solstice on June 20, marking the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere. Additionally, asteroid 2024 YR4, initially thought to threaten Earth, now has a 4.3% chance of impacting the Moon on December 22, 2032, according to updated NASA observations from the James Webb Space Telescope. The asteroid, about the size of a 15-story building, was last observed in May 2025 and will not be visible again until 2028.