June 12, 2026: Venus widens its gap from Jupiter after conjunction while Mercury approaches greatest elongation. Before sunrise, the crescent moon appears above Mars with Saturn nearby.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:15 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:26 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
Evening Planets
After sunset, Venus and Jupiter are close together in the west-northwest. The two brightest planets are easily visible.
Step outside an hour after sunset. Venus, to Jupiter’s upper left, and Jupiter are easy to see. Venus is seven times brighter than Jupiter and easily outshines all other nighttime bodies except the moon. After their conjunction three nights ago, Venus steps away, opening a 3.5° gap tonight.
Venus is in front of Cancer, 7.6° to Pollux’s upper left, one of the Gemini Twins, while Jupiter is 6.9° to the star’s lower left.
Mercury is part of this evening lineup, but it fades as it approaches greatest elongation on June 15. Begin looking for it about 45 minutes after sunset through a binocular when it is about 10° above the west-northwest horizon and 10° to Jupiter’s lower right. Its visibility without the binocular is questionable at this level of twilight. It might be visible as the sky darkens further during the next 15 minutes, although it is lower in the sky.
Each night Venus opens a widening gap with Jupiter. In a week, the Evening Star is 10° from Jupiter.
Morning Moon, Planets
Meanwhile, before sunrise, the crescent moon is above Mars, while Saturn is in the region. One hour before sunrise, the crescent moon, 11% illuminated, is 15° above the east-northeast horizon and 6.6° to Mars’ upper right. They fit snugly into the same binocular field of view, making this one of the month’s better lunar-planet pairings.
Look for Hamal, Aries’ brightest star, nearly 8° above the lunar crescent.
Saturn is easier to see, nearly 25° above the east-southeast horizon. While not as bright as Venus or Jupiter, it is brighter than all the stars in the region. The planet slowly creeps eastward in front of Pisces’ dim stars, which are challenging to see at this level of morning twilight.
The Saturn–Mars gap widens each morning as the Red Planet marches eastward faster than Saturn. Their separation this morning is 35°.
Planet displays are visible either before sunrise or after sunset. Look for Mercury during the next several evenings before it fades into brighter twilight and disappears from view.
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