Visible Planets and Night Sky Guide for June 2026

Jun 2, 2026 | 0 comments

June evenings: Charts for Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury

A starred dot, Venus, lies below a large dot, Jupiter. Below them is a smaller dot, Mercury. They all lie above a wavy line, the horizon.

The 2 brightest planets in our sky, Venus and Jupiter, are inching closer together and will reach conjunction on June 8-9. Here are Venus, Jupiter and Mercury on June 3. Watch for them in the west shortly after sunset. Chart via EarthSky.

A starred dot, Venus, lies near but below a large dot, Jupiter. Below them is a smaller dot, Mercury. They all lie above a wavy line, the horizon.

Venus, Jupiter and Mercury on June 5. Getting close! Watch for them in the west shortly after sunset. Chart via EarthSky.

Shortly after sunset, brilliant Venus lies next to bright Jupiter, while Mercury is much closer to the horizon on the evening of June 7.

Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury on June 7. Super close now! don’t miss them in the west shortly after sunset. Chart via EarthSky.

A starred dot, Venus, is next to a large dot, Jupiter. Below them is a smaller dot, Mercury. They all lie above a wavy line, the horizon.

Shortly after sunset on June 8, brilliant Venus will appear next to bright Jupiter. They’ll be a spectacular sight and only 3 full-moon widths apart! Your little pinky held at arm’s length will fit between them. Meanwhile, little Mercury will lie below them in the evening twilight. Chart via EarthSky.

A starred dot, Venus, is immediately above a large dot, Jupiter. Below them is a smaller dot, Mercury. They all lie above a wavy line, the horizon.

Shortly after sunset on June 9, brilliant Venus will still be near bright Jupiter, forming a dazzling duo that evening. At this point, the conjunction is over, and Venus has begun its ascent away from Jupiter. Venus will get higher in the west after sunset over the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Jupiter will head toward Mercury and the sunset. It’ll disappear into the sunset glare by July. Chart via EarthSky.

June 10 before dawn: Daytime Arietids

Star chart: Cassiopiea, Aries, and Capella with radial lines from a point in the sky.

Most meteor showers are easy to observe. Just find a dark sky and look up! But what about meteor showers that happen in the daytime, when the sun is up? The Arietids are sometimes said to be the most active daytime meteor shower. In 2026, their predicted peak will be around the morning of June 10. You might catch some Arietids in the dark hour before dawn. Chart via EarthSky.

June 10 and 11 mornings: Moon near Saturn

A crescent shape, the moon, lies above a dot, Saturn. The following morning,the crescent shape has moved left of the dot. They are all above a wavy line, the horizon.

On the mornings of June 10 and 11, the waning crescent moon will shine near Saturn. Look for them a few hours before sunrise. Chart via EarthSky.

June 15: New supermoon

sun news

This GOES-19 CORR1 coronagraph from November 18-19, 2025 (designed to show coronal mass ejections from the sun), captured a fun view of the new moon, which would normally not be visible from Earth during this phase. The moment of new moon will fall at 2:54 UTC on June 15, 2026. That’s 9:54 p.m. CDT on June 14. In fact, this is the 3rd of 5 new supermoons in a row. And it’s the closest new supermoon of 2026. It’ll be 221,966 miles (357,221 km) away. Compare that with the average moon distance of 238,900 miles (384,472 km). New moons rise and set with the sun. Nights around the new moon are perfect for stargazing. Images via NOAA/ GOES.

June 15: Mercury at greatest elongation from the sun

A starred dot, Venus, shines above a large dot, Jupiter. Between them and the wavy line of the horizon is a small dot, Mercury.

From the Northern Hemisphere, shortly after sunset, Mercury will lie below the much brighter planets Venus and Jupiter, low in the West. It’ll reach its greatest elongation from the sun at 20 UTC on June 15. At that time, Mercury will be 25 degrees from the sun in our sky. Mercury will slip away before the end of the month. Chart via EarthSky.

A starred dot, Venus, shines above a large dot, Jupiter. Between them and the wavy line of the horizon is a . small dot, Mercury.

From the Southern Hemisphere, shortly after sunset, Mercury will lie below the much brighter planets Venus and Jupiter, low in the West. It’ll reach its greatest elongation from the sun at 20 UTC on June 15. At that time, Mercury will be 25 degrees from the sun in our sky. Mercury will slip away before the end of the month. Chart via EarthSky.

June 16 after sunset: Moon, Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury

A starred dot, Venus, lies above a dot, Jupiter, which lies above a small dot, Mercury. A crescent shape, the moon, is between the dot and small dot. They all lie above a wavy line, the horizon.

On the evening of June 16, shortly after sunset, check out the pretty waxing crescent moon. It’ll hang low in the western sky after sunset. And it’ll be near the brilliant planet Venus and the bright planet Jupiter, and close to the elusive planet Mercury. Look for them about 35 minutes after sunset. Chart via EarthSky.

June 17 after sunset: Spectacular! Moon, Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury

A crescent shape, the moon, is next to a starred dot, Venus. Below them is a large dot, Jupiter, and below that is a small dot, Mercury. They all lie above a wavy line, the horizon.

On the evening of June 17, about 40 minutes after sunset, check out the pretty waxing crescent moon. It’ll be close to the brilliant planet Venus and near the bright planet Jupiter. Plus, the planet Mercury is nearby. Also, look for the glow of earthshine on the unlit portion of the moon. That’s light reflected off Earth. Chart via EarthSky.

 

June 18 and 19 evenings: Moon, Venus, and Regulus

A crescent shape, the moon, passes a dot, the star Regulus, on June 18 and 19. A starred dot, Venus, is to their lower right.
On the evenings of June 18 and 19, the waxing crescent moon will be near brilliant Venus and Regulus, the brightest star in Leo the Lion. Regulus is the bright dot at the bottom of a backward question-mark pattern of stars known as the Sickle. They’ll set around midnight. Chart via EarthSky.

June 21: 1st quarter moon

Moon, half illuminated.

Lorraine Boyd captured this view from New York on November 9, 2024. She wrote: “Peeking through tree limbs at the first quarter moon (50% illumination), just after sunset.” Thank you, Lorraine. This month’s moment of 1st quarter moon will fall at 21:55 UTC on June 21, 2026. That’s 4:55 p.m. CDT. A 1st quarter moon rises around noon your local time and sets around midnight. Watch for a 1st quarter moon high in the sky at sundown.

June Solstice

June solstice: Four black and white images of half-Earth from space, 2 upright and 2 tilted.

Satellite views of Earth on the solstices and equinoxes. From left to right, a June solstice, a September equinox, a December solstice and a March equinox. To understand these images, look at the poles. Notice that at the June solstice, the North Pole is in sunlight. At the December solstice, the South Pole is in sunlight. In 2026, the June solstice moment will fall at 8:25 UTC on June 21 (3:25 a.m. CDT). Photos via Robert Simmon (Sigma Space Corporation)/ NASA.

June 22 and 23 evenings: Moon and Spica

A hemisphere, the moon, passes a dot, the star Spica.

On the evenings of June 22 and 23, the waxing gibbous moon will be near Spica, the brightest star in Virgo the Maiden. You can also catch them until after midnight. Chart via EarthSky.

June 26 and 27 evenings: Moon near Antares

An almost full disk, the moon, is next to a dot, the star Antares. On the next evening, an almost full disk, the moon, is to the left of the dot.

As darkness falls on June 26 and 27, the bright waxing gibbous moon will shine near Antares. Antares is the brightest star in Scorpius, the Scorpion. Chart via EarthSky.

June 28 evening: Moon near Teapot

A fat hemisphere, the moon, approaches eight dots, representing the stars of the Teapot asterism. They are above the wavy line of the horizon.

On the evening of June 28, the bright waxing gibbous moon will hang near the stars of the asterism of Sagittarius called the Teapot. Chart via EarthSky.

June 29: Full Strawberry Moon

A disk, the full moon, lies among eight dots, representing the stars of the Teapot asterism. They are above the wavy line of the horizon.

At sunset on June 29, the full Strawberry Moon will rise in the east near the asterism of Sagittarius called the Teapot. Though the moon will be so bright that it will drown out the Teapot’s stars. The crest of the full moon falls at 23:57 UTC on June 29. That’s 6:57 p.m. CDT. Plus it’s the last of 3 full micromoons – or most distant full moons – in a row in 2026. It’ll be 251,811 miles (405,251 km) away. The average moon distance is 238,900 miles (384,472 km) away. Chart via EarthSky.

June 30 evening: Moon near Teapot

A fat hemisphere, the moon, lies left of eight dots, representing the stars of the Teapot asterism. They are above the wavy line of the horizon.

On the evening of June 30, the bright waning gibbous moon will hang near the stars of the asterism of Sagittarius called the Teapot. Look for them about an hour after sunset. They’ll be visible all night. Chart via EarthSky.

June evening planets

Sphere chart showing a large dot, Venus, above the western horizon. Immediately next to it is a smaller dot, Jupiter. A smaller dot, Mercury, lies just above the western horizon.

Here’s an all-sky chart – centered around June 8 – showing brilliant Venus shining in the west about 60 minutes after sunset with bright Jupiter lying next to it. Much closer to the western horizon is the fainter Mercury. Note that these planets lie along the path the sun travels in the sky (the green line on our chart). Chart via EarthSky.

Two charts. In the first, a starred dot, Venus, is above a dot, Jupiter. Below the dot is a small dot, Mercury. They are all above a wavy line, the horizon. On the second chart, the starred dot, Venus, and the dot, Jupiter, move apart. The small dot, Mercury, drops much closer to a wavy line, the horizon.

In the 2nd half of June, Venus and Jupiter will move away from each other, with Jupiter slowly approaching the horizon. The much fainter Mercury will lie below Jupiter. As the month proceeds, Mercury will move closer to the horizon and become even fainter and more difficult to spot. Chart via EarthSky.

June morning planets: Northern Hemisphere

Sphere chart showing a dot, Saturn, above the eastern rim. Immediately below it is another dot, Mars.

Here’s an all-sky chart showing the 2 planets in the eastern sky shortly before sunrise in June. The brightest and highest planet is Saturn. Closer to the horizon is Mars. As the month proceeds, Saturn will pull farther away from the slowly ascending Mars. Note that these planets lie along the path the sun travels in the sky (the green line on our chart). Chart via EarthSky.

Two charts: In the first, a dot, Mars, is above a wavy line, the horizon. In the second, a dot, Mars, lies higher than before, and next to five small dots, the Pleiades star cluster.

In the first half of June, Mars sits low in the bright eastern twilight shortly before sunrise. In the second half of June, it rises higher and moves near the delicate Pleiades star cluster. Chart via EarthSky.

Chart showing a dot representing Saturn above a wavy line, the horizon.

In June, Saturn will lie in the east as morning twilight begins. Chart via EarthSky.

June stars

If you’re out stargazing on any June evening, look for these stars and constellations overhead in the sky.

Boötes the Herdsman

Kite shaped group of stars making up Boötes the Herdsman.

Almost overhead on June evenings is bright orange Arcturus. It’s in the constellation Boötes the Herdsman. Boötes has the shape of a kite, and Arcturus is at the point where you’d attach a tail. You can’t miss its distinctive shape. Chart via EarthSky.

The Big Dipper and Little Dipper

The Big and Little Dipper with arrow showing how 2 stars from the Big Dipper point to Polaris.

Ursa Major, the Great Bear, is home to the Big Dipper. The Big Dipper is an asterism – a well-known group of stars – not an official constellation. You’ll find the Big Dipper high overhead from mid-northern latitudes in June evening skies. You can use the 2 outer stars in the Big Dipper’s bowl – sometimes called the Pointers – to find Polaris, the North Star. It is the end star in the handle of the Little Dipper. Chart via EarthSky.

Hercules the Hero and the Hercules Cluster

Star chart of man-shaped constellation with bent arms and legs.

Hercules the Strongman is a faint constellation. But its midsection contains the easy-to-see Keystone asterism. You can find Hercules between the bright stars Vega in Lyra the Harp and Arcturus in Boötes the Herdsman. And once you find the Keystone, you can easily locate M13, the Hercules Cluster. Chart via EarthSky.

Have fun exploring the sky!

Sky dome map for visible planets and the night sky

Circle constellations, planets, the moon, the Milky Way and celestial lines.

Here is the sky dome view for June 2026. It shows what is above the horizon at mid-evening for mid-northern latitudes. The view may vary depending on your location. Image via Guy Ottewell’s 2026 Astronomical Calendar.

Heliocentric solar system, visible planets, and more

Circle with sun at center, planets around, and zodiac names on outer edge.

Heliocentric view of the solar system, June 2026. Chart via Guy Ottewell’s 2026 Astronomical Calendar. Used with permission.

Bottom line: Visible planets and night sky guide. This evening, look for a wonderful planetary trio: Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury. Venus and Jupiter are inching closer together and will reach conjunction soon!

Originally published by EarthSky.