June 2026

Solstice

The June solstice happens at 08:25 UT on the 21^st. So the nights are shortest this month for northern hemisphere observers and longest for those south of the equator.

Evening sky

Three naked eye planets are lined up in the evening sky. All three spend the first ten days of the month within the International Astronomical Union’s boundaries for Gemini. Venus starts the month in the middle of the constellation when Gemini is flanked by Jupiter on its east side and Mercury on the west. See them as darkness sets in. On the 7^th, Mercury is zipping by Mebsuta on the Castor side of the twins while Venus has nearly caught up to Jupiter. By the 10^th, Venus is clearly past slowly moving Jupiter and Mercury is in the middle of the constellation. On the 11^th, Venus has passed into the boundaries of Cancer. Mercury’s greatest elongation of 24.5° east of the sun happens on the 15^th. Then a young, crescent moon passes by Mercury on the night of the 16^th. Of course, it passes Jupiter on the way to passing Venus on the evening of the 17^th. Whether you get to see the moon close to Jupiter depends on where you are in the world. Australia and eastern Asia get the view, although they don’t get the view of the moon as close to Mercury one night and Venus the next.

The moon moves on past Regulus on the evening of the 19^th when Venus is going into M44, also known as the Beehive Cluster and the Manger. Madagascar and ocean areas near it get an occultation of Regulus. See the visibility map below. The moon passes Spica in Virgo on the 23^rd. That’s about when you should see Mercury isn’t moving as quickly toward Jupiter as it was. In the next few nights, the messenger planet will turn around and begin retreating sunward. By the end of the month, Mercury will be very hard to see because of it heading so far into the sunset glow. And at that time, Cancer will be flanked by Venus on its eastern side and Jupiter to the west. Venus will actually be within Leo’s boundaries at month’s end.

The moon passes by Antares on the 27^th. Some observers get an occultation. Southeast Australia and New Zealand are among the places in the visibility area. A big ocean area from the southern Indian Ocean to Antarctica is too. See the visibility map below.

Midnight to dawn

Neptune and Saturn rise in the wee hours alongside Pisces. The ringed planet is actually in Cetus at the month’s start, very close to the line with Pisces. It enters Pisces on the 4^th. A waning crescent moon passes by them on the 10^th. Neptune will be at quadrature late this month, meaning it’s 90° from the sun. That gives the best chance of seeing the planet looking slightly gibbous in a highly magnified view. Saturn will be at quadrature next month. You can watch the shadow on the rings extending farther from the gas ball this month. If your telescope lets you see any of the ringed planet’s moons, those that go into the shadow will stay hidden longer.

In the dawn, Mars is moving eastward above the head of Cetus the sea monster. A thin crescent moon passes by on the 13^th. Toward the end of June, the red planet is in Aries, riding the planetary pathway that will take it between the Pleiades kite of Y and the Hyades V. Uranus is already there, nearly parked, waiting for a rendezvous with Mars on July 4.

Lunar circumstances

The moon is at apogee twice this month. On the 1^st and 28^th, it will reach 406,300 km away. The second closest perigee of the year is on the 14^th at 357,200 km.

The moon’s at lunistice, 28° south on the 1^st. It goes north over the equator on the 9^th. The next lunistice is on the 15^th at 28° north. The moon goes south of the equator again on the 21^st. A second southern lunistice of 28° happens on the 28^th.

Just past full as June begins, the moon is at last quarter on the 8^th, new on the 15^th, first quarter on the 21^st, and full on the 29^th.

Appulses

Notable appulses this month:

3^rd – Ceres and Uranus 2.8° apart; a good test for those who like to find dim objects

7^th – Venus 4.7° from Pollux as the planet heads out of Gemini

9^th – Jupiter and Venus 1.6° apart

10^th – Saturn 5.5° from the moon

12^th – asteroid Pallas 0.9° from Saturn; the moon 5.4° from Mars

15^th – asteroid Vesta 3.9° from Saturn

16^th – the moon 2.5° from Mercury

17^th – the moon 3.5° from Pollux, later 2.4° from Jupiter, and then 0.3° from Jupiter; the moon occults Jupiter but it is mostly a daytime conjunction

19^th – the moon 0.3° from Regulus and it occults the star

23^rd – the moon 2.0° from Spica

25^th – Mercury and Jupiter 3.7° apart

27^th – the moon 0.4° from Antares and it occults the star