June 6, 2024: The moon is New today, beginning another cycle of phases. Look for it tomorrow evening after sunset. Mars and Saturn are in the eastern sky before sunrise.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:16 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:23 p.m. CDT. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.
June’s New Moon
Two months after the solar eclipse, the moon is New at 1:38 p.m. Central Time. This new set of phases begins lunation 1255, the number of lunar phase cycles since the count began in 1923.
Tomorrow evening, a thin lunar crescent appears low in the west-northwest as darkness falls.
Here is today’s planet forecast:
Morning Sky
Look for Mars and Saturn
Mars and Saturn are the only bright planets that are visible during the nighttime. Saturn is easier to see in the southeast an hour before sunrise. It is nearly 30° above the southeast horizon.
The Ringed Wonder is nearing a height above the horizon, known as the altitude, where a view of Saturn becomes clearer through a telescope. The planet’s rings are easily visible as well as its cloud tops. A few of its moons are visible.
Mars passed Saturn on April 10th and widened a gap between them. This morning the Red Planet is nearly 15° up in the east and nearly 40° to Saturn’s lower left.
Mars is too far away from Earth and too low in the sky for a telescopic view. This morning it looks like a tiny red-orange globe that is blurred by Earth’s atmosphere.
Mercury and Jupiter
Mercury and Jupiter are west of the sun, rising before daybreak, but they are veiled in bright twilight. The speedy planet reaches superior conjunction on the 14th, followed by an unfavorable appearance in the western sky after sundown. This morning it rises about 30 minutes before the central star.
About the time of the summer solstice, Jupiter makes its first appearance in the eastern sky before sunrise. This morning it rises over 40 minutes before the sun.
Evening Sky
Venus
Venus is east of the sun, setting a few minutes after sunset. It makes its first evening appearance later during the summer.
Here’s a highlight for the Venusian apparition:
Venus passes distant Neptune on January 31, 2025. The next evening the crescent moon, 15% illuminated, is part of a binocular scene that includes both planets. The Evening Star is 2.4° to the moon’s upper right and near the star 21 Piscium (21 Psc on the chart).
Neptune appears as a very faint aquamarine star, 1.3° to the moon’s lower left. Look carefully for it. A telescope with a very large main lens or mirror is required to see the planet’s globe.
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