June 9-13, 2026: See the waning crescent moon with Saturn and Mars before sunrise during mid-June. Learn where to look for earthshine, Saturn’s rings, Mars, and the Pleiades in the eastern sky.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Venus as an Evening Star
Moon Passes Saturn, Mars Before Sunrise
While the Venus-Jupiter conjunction occurs in the evening sky, the moon approaches and passes the morning planets — Saturn and Mars. These planets emerge from bright morning twilight and are affected by the thicker atmosphere near the horizon. Saturn’s view improves during the year. Mars’ view improves as it reaches opposition next year, although its surface features are more subtle than Saturn’s bright rings.
Mars marches eastward along the ecliptic in front of Aries, opening a widening gap with Saturn, while the Ringed Wonder slowly creeps eastward in front of Pisces’ dim stars. Saturn is golden in color in the east-southeast. Not as bright as Venus or Jupiter, it is brighter than all the other stars in the region.
Use a binocular to spot red-orange Mars. It is less than 10° above the east-northeast horizon. On June 12, the planet and moon fit into the same binocular field of view.
See Earthshine
Step outside an hour before sunrise. Here’s what to see:
As the moon wanes, earthshine is visible gently illuminating the lunar night. This effect is from sunlight reflected from Earth’s oceans, clouds, and land. Photograph it with a tripod-mounted camera or a steady camera phone. Use exposures up to five seconds.
Highlights
• June 9: The crescent moon, 40% illuminated, is about 30° above the east-southeast horizon. It is 12° to Saturn’s upper right. The Saturn-Mars gap is 33.0°.
• June 10: The moon, 29% illuminated, is 26° above the east-southeast horizon, 5° to Saturn’s upper left. The Saturn-Mars separation is 33.7°.
• June 11: Look for and photograph earthshine on the 19% illuminated moon. The lunar orb, over 20° above the east horizon, is over 15° to Saturn’s lower left and 19° to Mars’ upper right. The Saturn-Mars gap is 34.4°.
• June 12: This is perhaps the first opportunity to see Mars with the moon. The moon, 11% illuminated, is 15° above the east-northeast horizon and 6.6° to Mars’ upper right. They snugly fit into the same binocular field of view. The Saturn-Mars gap is 35.0°. Look for earthshine.
• June 13: The moon, 5% illuminated, is less than 10° above the east-northeast horizon. Find a clear horizon. A view from a hilltop or elevated structure improves the view. The thin crescent is 10° to Mars’ lower left. With a binocular, can you find the Pleiades star cluster 2.2° to the moon’s lower right? This is visible only from locations with an exceptionally clear horizon and a very transparent sky.
While the conjunction occurs in the evening sky, look for the waning moon and the morning planets in the eastern sky before sunrise.
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