June 17, 2026: Watch the crescent moon occult Venus during daylight across North America, then see the moon, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, and the Beehive Cluster after sunset.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:15 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:28 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
Moon Occults Venus
The crescent moon occults (eclipses) Venus during the daytime across much of North America and after sunset from eastern Brazil.
It is important to note and to warn observers never to look at the sun through an optical instrument, such as a telescope or binocular, or with the unaided eye. Venus can be seen during the daytime, especially when a crescent moon is nearby.
How to Locate Venus, Moon
For example, from Chicago, stand in the shadow of a house or building with an open sky to the east (left) of the sun. Before the occultation begins at 2:24 p.m. Central Time, Venus and the lunar crescent are at nearly the same altitude – height above the horizon – as the sun, but in the southeastern sky and nearly 40° east of the sun. Depending on the location, Venus and the moon are either higher or lower than the sun.
As an aid in the initial identification, remain in the shadow and use the edge of the structure as a reference. Surprisingly, this is very helpful for finding the pair in the clear sky. This reference also helps later when locating the pair again after the occultation.
For scale, extend an arm and widely spread the fingers of one hand. The distance from the thumb to the pinky finger is about 20°. Now extend the other hand and spread the fingers. Touch the thumbs together. From pinky to pinky is approximately 40°, about the distance Venus and the moon are from the sun. This provides an approximate place to look. If the sky is clear, they are there. Be patient and look carefully. Look for Venus near the lunar crescent. Use a binocular or spotting scope to watch Venus disappear behind the moon’s night limb (edge) and reappear at the crescent limb over an hour later.
Here are disappearance and reappearance times for selected cities. For other locations, find the nearest city in this list. The times in the link are listed in Universal Time. For local times, subtract 4 hours for EDT, 5 hours for CDT, 6 hours for MDT, and so on. The disappearance times are shown in the middle column and the reappearance times are shown in the right column. They have been corrected for their specific times zones.
| City | Disappear (local time) | Reappear |
| Albuquerque | 12:57 p.m. | 2:10 p.m. |
| Atlanta | 3:39 p.m. | 5:07 p.m. |
| Boston | 4:00 p.m. | 5:08 p.m. |
| Chicago | 2:24 p.m. | 3:50 p.m. |
| Denver | 12:56 p.m. | 2:18 p.m. |
| Kansas City | 2:13 p.m. | 3:40 p.m. |
| Los Angeles | 11:40 a.m. | 12:44 p.m. |
| Miami | 4:06 p.m. | 5:25 p.m. |
| Montreal | 3:35 p.m. | 4:57 p.m. |
| Nashville | 2:31 p.m. | 3:40 p.m. |
| Seattle | 11:41 a.m. | 12:51 p.m. |
| Vancouver | 11:43 a.m. | 12:50 p.m. |
Three Planets, Moon After Sunset
The show continues after sunset with Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury, and the lunar crescent in the west-northwest. One hour after sunset, the moon, 12% illuminated, is 2.9° to Venus’ upper left and over 15° above the west-northwest horizon.
Binocular View
This is a pretty sight through a binocular that includes the Beehive star cluster to the moon’s lower right. At this level of twilight, only the cluster’s brightest stars are visible. Tonight, Venus is 8.1° to bright Jupiter’s upper left, while Mercury is 6.2° to the Jovian Giant’s lower right. From the lunar crescent to Mercury, the four bodies span nearly 17°.
Photographic images can capture earthshine, a gentle illumination on the moon’s night side from sunlight reflected from Earth’s oceans, clouds, and land.
Be patient when finding Venus and the moon during the daytime. Watch Venus disappear behind the moon and then reappear near the lighted crescent. Step outside after sunset to see the three planets and the lunar crescent.
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