May 30, 2026: A seasonal Blue Moon shines near Antares in Scorpius while Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury form a bright evening lineup in the western sky after sunset.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:19 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:18 p.m. CDT. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
Venus as an Evening Star
Almanac for Sun, Moon, and Planets
Sunlight increases across the northern hemisphere with the summer solstice occurring in about three weeks. The seasonal Blue Moon appears with Scorpius in the southeastern sky while Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury line up in the western sky after sunset.
Sun, Moon
Sun: At Chicago’s latitude, daylight spans 14 hours, 59 minutes, while in Miami it is 78 minutes shorter. Farther northward in Anchorage, the sun is in the sky for 18 hours, 38 minutes. Far northern latitudes do not experience complete nighttime. Anchorage has daylight and twilight throughout the night. With the summer solstice occurring on June 21, the sun nears its longest arc across the sky, rising and setting at its farthest northern points. The sun is overhead at local noon at latitude 22° north. South of the equator, daylight continues to diminish. In Auckland, it spans 9 hours, 50 minutes.
Moon: The moon nears the second Full Moon this month, commonly known as the Blue Moon. Tomorrow morning at 3:15 a.m. Central Time, the moon is opposite the sun, marking the Full phase. This evening, find the moon nearly 15° above the southeast horizon two hours after nightfall. It is 2.6° to the upper right of Antares, Scorpius’ brightest star. Use a binocular to locate the star near the bright moon.
Inner Planets
Mercury: The Elusive Planet is joining the bright planet display in the western sky after sunset. Forty-five minutes after sunset, it is nearly 10° above the west-northwest horizon and over 15° to brilliant Venus’ lower right. Use a binocular to initially locate Mercury through bright evening twilight.
Venus: The Evening Star outshines all other starlike bodies in the night sky. It is visible as early as 30 minutes after sunset, dominating the western sky during the early evening hours. Venus closes the gap to bright Jupiter, 9.7° to the upper left. Watch Venus reduce the separation each evening before the June 9 conjunction.
Outer Planets
Mars: The Red Planet continues to emerge from bright morning twilight, rising nearly 90 minutes before sunrise, although 30 minutes later it remains very low in the east-northeast. At its current distance of over 200 million miles, Mars is not bright enough to shine prominently through morning twilight. It is only about 2% of its maximum brightness when it is closest to Earth during a perihelic opposition that occurs every 15 to 17 years. Mars’ brightness varies greatly because of its changing distance from Earth. Its visibility improves later in June when it is higher in the eastern sky before sunrise.
Jupiter: An hour after sundown, the Jovian Giant, part of the lineup of evening planets, is over 20° above the western horizon. From the west-northwest horizon, Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter line up along an imaginary diagonal line spanning over 26°. At 45 minutes after sunset, Mercury is less than 5° above the horizon. Jupiter, about half as bright as Venus, shines through evening twilight, unlike dimmer Mars. Watch the interval between Jupiter and Mercury close each evening while Venus — between them — quickly overtakes Jupiter.
Jupiter slowly rambles eastward in front of Gemini, 6.3° to Pollux’ lower left, one of the Twins. It moves eastward at about 10% of Venus’ speed.
Saturn: The Ringed Wonder is in the eastern sky during morning twilight. Not as bright as the other visible planets, Saturn is easily visible over 15° above the eastern horizon. This morning the planet is still too low in the sky for detailed telescopic views of its rings. Bright twilight and thicker air near the horizon blur the image. Better telescopic views occur later in the year when Saturn is higher in the sky before sunrise.
Uranus: The Tilted World was at solar conjunction eight days ago. Hiding in bright morning twilight, it becomes visible through a binocular later during the summer.
Neptune: The Distant Planet — the dimmest planet in the modern solar system model — rises before Saturn, but it cannot shine through morning twilight. It is visible through a binocular or telescope later during the summer.
As daylight slowly increases with the approach of the summer solstice, the seasonal Blue Moon occurs while a three-planet lineup dominates the western sky.
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