June 11 – 14, 2021: After the solar eclipse, the crescent moon returns to the western sky after sunset appearing with Evening Star Venus on June 11. Each evening the crescent waxes and appears higher in the sky. The crescent is near Mars on June 13.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
After the annular solar eclipse on June 10, the waxing crescent moon appears in the western sky after sunset. It moves past Evening Star Venus and then Mars.
Here’s what to look for:
June 11: Forty-five minutes after sunset, brilliant Venus is about 8° up in the west-northwest. The crescent moon, 2% illuminated, is 2.8° to the lower right of Venus.
June 12: This evening the moon, 6% illuminated, is over 8° to the upper left of Venus and 4.5° to the lower left of Pollux.
June 13: The crescent moon, 12% illuminated and 20° to the upper left of Venus, is 2.9° above Mars.
June 14: The crescent moon is nearly 20% illuminated and 30° up in the west. The lunar slice is over 14° to the upper left of Mars.
Photographers can capture sunlight reflected from Earth’s oceans, land, and clouds that illuminates the night portion of the moon. This is known as earthshine. In the photo above, the moon was 9% illuminated. The photo’s properties: 140mm, f/5.6, 5 seconds exposure, ISO-100.
Articles and Summaries
- Venus as an Evening Star
- Venus Evening Star (Summary)
- Mars during 2021 (Summary)
- Planets during June 2021
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