June 20, 2026: Venus remains near the Beehive Cluster after sunset while Jupiter and Mercury share the evening sky. Before sunrise, Mars approaches the Pleiades and Saturn brightens in the east.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:16 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:29 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
Nighttime Planet Show
With brilliant Venus and Jupiter in the evening sky, Saturn and Mars are visible before sunrise in the eastern sky.
Before Sunrise
Two planets are visible in the eastern sky before sunrise. Golden Saturn is nearly 30° above the east-southeast horizon. While not the brightest body in the sky, it is the brightest in the region. The Ringed Wonder slowly creeps eastward in front of Pisces’ dim stars. The planet is appearing high enough to begin telescopic observations, although the best views occur in a darker sky before morning twilight brightens.
Mars is about 10° above the east-northeast horizon. This morning it steps in front of Taurus, over 8° to the right of the Pleiades star cluster. Use a binocular to see the planet or the stellar bundle, but not together. Find one of the wonders through the binocular, then move it slightly to see the other. In two mornings, they tightly fit into the same binocular field of view, where they can be seen together until early next month.
After Sunset
After sunset, the thick crescent moon, 42% illuminated, is 30° above the west-southwest horizon and nearly 20° to Regulus’ upper left, Leo’s brightest star. The evening half moon (First Quarter) occurs tomorrow at 4:55 p.m. Central Time.
An hour after sunset, brilliant Venus is 15° above the west-northwest horizon, stepping eastward in front of Cancer. Last night it passed the Beehive star cluster, although only the cluster’s brightest stars were visible through evening twilight.
Tonight, Venus and the stellar bundle are still in the same binocular field of view, separated by 1.4°. Venus is west of an imaginary line connecting Asellus Borealis and Asellus Australis, the two donkeys feeding from a manger, or Praesepe, another name for the star cluster.
Bright Jupiter, slowly rambling eastward in front of Gemini, is nearly 11° to Venus’ lower right and 7.7° to Pollux’s lower left, one of the Twins.
After its greatest elongation, Mercury fades as it retreats into brighter evening twilight. It is 4.6° to Jupiter’s lower right and in the same binocular field of view. The planet becomes more difficult to see each evening as its altitude and brightness diminish.
Look for Saturn and Mars before sunrise, while the moon is in the western evening sky along with Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury.
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