June 3, 2026: Venus and Jupiter tighten toward their June 9 conjunction while Mercury joins the bright evening planet lineup low in the western sky after sunset.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:17 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:21 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
Venus Closes In
With less than a week before their conjunction, Venus closes in on Jupiter.
You may have noticed two bright “stars” in the west-northwest after sunset. The brighter one to the lower right is Venus, while the other is Jupiter. Their best viewing occurs from about 45 minutes after sunset for the next 45 minutes before they are too low in the sky. During this same interval, Mercury joins the evening planet display low near the horizon.
Here’s the scene: Step outside about an hour after sunset and look toward the west-northwest. The third brightest celestial body, Venus, brilliantly shines from over 15° above the horizon. It steps eastward in front of Gemini, 6.3° below Pollux, leading toward the June 9 conjunction.
Bright Jupiter, the fourth brightest celestial body, rambles eastward 5.8° to Venus’ upper left and 6.3° to Pollux’s lower left. Tonight, Venus, Jupiter, and Pollux fit into the same binocular field of view.
Mercury Joins the Lineup
Not to be left out of the scene, Mercury is over 5° above the west-northwest horizon at this hour. Fifteen minutes earlier it is nearly 10° high in the sky. Use a binocular to identify the planet that resembles a bright star about 25% of Jupiter’s brightness. The span from Mercury to Jupiter is 20.5°.
See all three planets from about 45 minutes to 75 minutes after sunset. Venus and Jupiter are easily visible until about two hours after sundown.
Meanwhile Before Sunrise
While the three bright planets appear in the evening planet lineup, Saturn and the moon are visible before sunrise.
An hour before daybreak, the gibbous moon, 92% illuminated, is in the south-southeast in front of Sagittarius. In this moonlight, use a binocular to see the stars that resemble a teapot.
Farther eastward, Saturn is nearly 20° above the east-southeast horizon. While not in a prime spot for seeing the rings through a telescope, the Ringed Wonder is brighter than most of the stars in its region. The telescopic view improves when the planet is higher in the sky later in the year.
During the next several evenings, watch Venus steadily close in on Jupiter as their conjunction approaches.
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