June 6, 2026: Venus closes to within 3.1° of Jupiter after sunset while Mercury joins the evening planet lineup low in the west-northwest sky.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:16 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:23 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-Jupiter Conjunction Nears
With the Venus–Jupiter conjunction in three evenings, the Evening Star steps closer to the Jovian Giant. Venus is 3.1° from Jupiter tonight.
Here is the scene: Step outside an hour after sunset. Two bright “stars” are close together in the west-northwest sky. They are about 15° above the horizon, about the height of the sun an hour before sunset. Find a clear horizon looking in that direction.
Venus is the brighter star to the lower right. This pairing unfolds as the faster-moving, closer planet overtakes the slower, farther away planet. While they appear close together in the sky, Jupiter is nearly six times farther away than Venus.
Venus is the brightest starlike body in the sky and Jupiter is the second brightest. They are visible early during twilight, although the best view occurs about an hour after sundown when they shine through the colorful hues of evening light. Venus passes Jupiter at intervals of 10-15 months. While not rare, the conjunction is the most prominent planetary pairing in the night sky, rivaled only by a crescent moon near Venus.
These planets are in front of Gemini, to the lower left of Pollux, one of the Twins. All three fit into the same binocular field of view.
Mercury
In addition, Mercury is in the region, 13.8° to Venus’ lower right, with the triad of planets spanning 16.6°. All three are in front of Gemini. Elusive Mercury is making an evening appearance, helping outline the plane of the solar system. The three worlds are lined up along the ecliptic — the plane of the solar system — making an apparent diagonal line from the west-northwest horizon to the upper left through Venus and Jupiter.
Look for Mercury through a binocular at 45 minutes after sunset. Not as bright as the other two planets, it is visible without the binocular’s optical assist. Fifteen minutes later, it is still visible, but lower in the sky.
Photograph the Planets
All three planets and Gemini fit into a camera’s field. Photograph them with a tripod-mounted camera or steady smartphone camera. Depending on the settings, use exposures up to five seconds. Take multiple images at varying exposures and zoom settings to capture the scene. Repeat the photographs during the next week to see Venus make its final approach to Jupiter, pass by, and then open a widening gap.
Before Sunrise
Gibbous Moon
Meanwhile before sunrise, the gibbous moon, 70% illuminated, is in the south-southeast. In front of Capricornus, it is 2° to the upper right of Deneb Algedi, the tail.
Saturn and Mars in Eastern Sky
Farther eastward, Saturn is nearly 20° above the east-southeast horizon. It slowly moves eastward in front of Pisces’ dim stars. Saturn is too low in the sky for a clear telescopic view of its rings. Later during the summer it is higher in the predawn sky and a better target for telescopic inspection.
Mars, emerging from bright morning twilight after solar conjunction about five months ago, is over 5° above the east-northeast horizon. From a view at the natural horizon, use a binocular. Like Saturn, Mars is easier to see later in the summer months.
Next compare the ecliptic this morning to the evening view. Trace an imaginary line from the east-northeast horizon through Mars and Saturn to the moon. This line makes a shallow angle with the horizon compared to the evening angle. The changing angle results from Earth’s tilt and the season. In autumn, the ecliptic makes a shallow angle with the evening western horizon and a sharp angle with the eastern morning horizon. Throughout the year, it seems to wobble like a misaligned wheel, making various angles with the horizons before sunrise and after sunset.
During the next several evenings, Venus makes its final approach to Jupiter, passes by, and opens a widening gap. Look at the planets and the morning moon to note the effects of our tilted planet.
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