June 4, 2026: Venus rapidly closes the gap to Jupiter before their June 9 conjunction while Mercury joins the bright evening planet display low in the western sky.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:17 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:22 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
Countdown to Conjunction
Counting down to the Venus–Jupiter conjunction in five nights.
Venus, Jupiter in West-Northwest after Sunset
Venus is overtaking Jupiter in the west-northwestern sky after sunset. An hour after sundown, step outside and look toward that direction. The brightest “star” is Venus with Jupiter to the upper left. Tonight, Venus moves to within 5.0° of Jupiter. Additionally, the planet passes 8.1° to Castor’ lower right, one of the Gemini Twins, in a wide conjunction.
Jupiter slowly rambles eastward at only 10% of Venus’ speed against the celestial backdrop. It is 6.4° to Pollux’ lower left, the other Twin. Use a binocular to spot Venus, Jupiter, and Pollux in the same binocular field.
Look for Mercury
Speedy Mercury joins the planet pair in front of Gemini, over 14° to Venus’ lower right. Begin looking for it through a binocular about 45 minutes after sunset when it is nearly 10° above the west-northwest horizon. Then attempt to see it without the binocular’s optical assist.
Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter form a diagonal line stretching over 19°, representing that segment of the ecliptic — the plane of the solar system. When the sky is darker 15 minutes later, Mercury is only 6° above the horizon where thicker air blurs and dims celestial bodies.
Venus-Jupiter Conjunctions
Venus–Jupiter conjunctions are not rare. The interval between successive pairings varies from 10 to 15 months. Their next conjunction occurs on August 25, 2027, although it occurs in bright sunlight, followed by another conjunction on November 10, 2028. During that conjunction, the planets are 0.8° apart in the east-southeast before sunrise.
Before Sunrise
Meanwhile in the morning sky, the gibbous moon, 86% illuminated, is nearly 25° above the southern horizon. It is in front of Sagittarius, although the brighter stars popularly known as “The Teapot” are to the west.
Saturn
Farther eastward, Saturn is nearly 20° above the east-southeast horizon. It is not as bright as the evening planets, although it outshines the stars in the region. Saturn is too low in the sky for a clear telescopic view of its rings. Better views occur later in the year when the planet is higher in the sky.
With the impending Venus–Jupiter conjunction, watch the pairing unfold with Mercury nearby.
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