June in the Neighborhood: Explore the stars and other planets, Create by the Creek, and tame your camera roll

Explore the stars and other planets. Stellar and planetary exploration opportunities are practically at our doorsteps, between the planetarium at the Rock Creek Nature Center, the National Capital Astronomers monthly “Exploring the Sky” event, and the neighborhood lectures at Carnegie Science’s Earth and Planets Laboratory on Broad Branch Road.

The next Carnegie lecture is at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 5th. Staff scientist Anne Pommier is giving a talk on the hidden interiors of planets including Mercury. Register to attend in person at the Greenewalt Auditorium (5241 Broad Branch Road NW) or to watch live online.

Two nights later, on June 7th, the National Capital Astronomers will be setting up their telescopes at the corner of Military and Glover Roads (not far from the Nature Center) and inviting the public to take a peek. They do this on the first Saturday of every month from April to November. The June “Exploring the Sky” event begins at 9 p.m. and will focus on the Leo, Bootes, Hercules constellations, the M13 star cluster, and our moon.

The planetarium at the Rock Creek Nature Center is the only one in the entire National Park Service system. It appears to be taking a hiatus until June 20th, when you can treat yourself to a 30-minute film, the Stellar Star Show. It’s shown at 2 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The free tickets are released 30 minutes prior to the show.

Create by the Creek returns. This annual gathering in celebration of art and community is organized by Friends of Peirce Mill. On Saturday, June 14th, participants are invited to spend the day painting and sketching at the mill, or to register for free workshops on topics including stone carving and drawing with powdered graphite. The rain date is June 15th.

Milling season is also under way at Peirce Mill. The mill is up and running one weekend per month through October, and the next milling days are June 14th and 15th. Milling hours are typically 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visiting hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Enjoy Baroque music and dance at the Hillwood Museum and Gardens. The New York Baroque Dance Company and Opera Lafayette will be performing on Hillwood’s Lunar Lawn on June 26th, 27th and 28th. Hillwood is offering “pay-what-you-wish” pricing, so get your tickets while you can. The performances begin at 7 p.m., but ticketholders can arrive as early as 5:30 p.m. to set up their lawn chairs or blankets, explore the mansion and gardens, and buy food and drinks from Merriweather to Go.

Tame your digital photos. The UDC library’s webinars are free and open to the general public, and the two in June are all about taking better photos (June 6th), and organizing the collection (June 27th). The library’s events calendar has details and registration links. If you register but can’t watch live, a recording will be sent to you.