2023, June 20: Evening Western Line Dance

June 20, 2023: Pollux, Moon, Venus, Mars, and Regulus make a line dance in the western sky after sundown. The crescent moon displays earthshine.

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by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois:  Sunrise, 5:15 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:29 p.m. CDT.  Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times for your location.  Times are calculated by the U.S. Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.

Daylight begins to shorten, a minute or two every few days. The latest sunset begins in three evenings and runs through July 1^st.  The solstice occurs tomorrow at 9:58 a.m. CDT

Here is today’s planet forecast:

Morning Sky

Jupiter and Saturn are in the eastern morning sky before sunrise.  One hour before daybreak, bright Jupiter is about 20° above the eastern horizon.  It is moving slowly eastward compared to Aries’ stars, 11.2° to the lower right Hamal, the constellation’s brightest stars.

Through a binocular this morning, Jupiter’s volcanic satellite Io is to the upper right of the planet while Ganymede, the solar system’s third largest moon, is to the lower left.

At this hour Saturn is over 30° up in the south-southeast.  It is retrograding in front of Aquarius’ dim stars.  For sky watchers with telescopes, find Titan, Saturn’s largest moon and the second largest in the solar system, to the west of the planet and the rings.

Mercury is a technically a morning planet, but nearly impossible to see with conventional means.  The planet rises forty-eight minutes before the sun, losing rising time compared to sunrise each morning.  It passes superior conjunction with the sun on July 1^st and moves into the evening sky.  Its evening apparition is a challenge to see.

Evening Sky

The crescent moon, 8% illuminated, is low in the western sky after sundown.  The moon is waxing and appearing higher in the western sky this week.  The lunar orb is the fastest moving body of the visible solar system objects.  It jumps eastward at about 13° each night.

Look carefully at the moon to see earthshine, sunlight reflected from Earth’s features that gently illuminates the lunar night.  A binocular helps with the sight.

The moon is part of a western line dance this evening.  The dance line extends over 37° from Pollux to Regulus, along a diagonal line that includes brilliant Venus and Mars.

Venus continues to sparkle in the western sky after nightfall.  It continues to brighten and it easily outshines all the starlike bodies tonight. It is moving eastward toward Mars, 4.7° to its upper left. Venus does not overtake Mars and the closest approach is 3.6° on the 29^th.

Mars is marching eastward as well in front of Cancer’s fainter stars, 11.8° to the lower right of Regulus, Leo’s brightest star.

Tonight, might be the last opportunity to see Venus and all of the Beehive star cluster in the same binocular field of view.  Wait until the sky is darker.  In the binocular, place Venus to the upper left of the field, the Beehive is to the lower right.  Tomorrow, the moon and Venus fit into the same field of view.  Depending on the characteristics of the binocular, part of the Beehive may fit with them.

Venus or Mars has fit into the same binocular field with the Beehive since May 22^nd.  Set an alarm to see Venus and the crescent moon together tomorrow evening.

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• 2023, June 28: Aldebaran Returns, Venus Approaches Mars
• 2023, June 27: Planet Parade, Moon-Spica Conjunction
• 2023, June 26: Spectacular Venus Steps into Leo
• 2023, June 25: Four Bright Planets on Parade
• 2023, June 24: Planetary Quartet