June 21, 2026: Celebrate the first night of summer with five visible planets, a First Quarter Moon, Mars approaching the Pleiades, and Mercury fading into evening twilight.
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
Almanac for Sun, Moon, and Planets
Sun, Moon
Sun: The sun reaches its northernmost point on its apparent annual trek across the celestial sphere. The solstice occurs at 3:24 a.m. Central Time. The sun rises and sets at its farthest northern points and is highest at local noon, overhead at the Tropic of Cancer. At Chicago’s latitude, daylight spans 15 hours, 13 minutes, compared to 13 hours, 45 minutes in Miami. Farther north in Anchorage, the sun is in the sky for 19 hours, 22 minutes, but there is no darkness, only daylight and twilight. South of the equator in Auckland, daylight spans only 9 hours, 38 minutes, the season’s shortest day. During the next several weeks, daylight decreases at northern latitudes, while it increases south of the equator.
Moon: Rising after local noon, the First Quarter Moon (4:55 p.m. Central Time) is in the southwest after sunset. An hour after sundown, the lunar orb is over 30° above the horizon. In front of Virgo, it is over 20° to Spica’s lower right and nearly the same distance from Denebola’s lower left, Leo’s tail.
Morning Planets
Four planets – Saturn, Mars, Uranus, and Neptune – are in the eastern sky before sunrise. Golden Saturn is easiest to locate. An hour before sunrise, the Ringed Wonder is nearly 30° above the east-southeast horizon. It creeps slowly eastward in front of Pisces’ dim stars. It is brighter than the stars in the region.
Meanwhile, Mars marches eastward in front of Taurus near the Pleiades star cluster. Tomorrow, both fit tightly into the same binocular field of view. The Red Planet is over 10° above the east-northeast horizon and 7.3° to the right of the stellar bundle. From a favorable location, such as a shoreline, hilltop, or high floor in an elevated structure, find either the planet or the stellar concentration. Then move the binocular slightly to find the second body.
Uranus is near the Pleiades star cluster, but it is too low for easy visibility. Better views are ahead when it is higher in the sky. Similarly, Neptune is not easily seen during morning twilight. The Distant Blue World is about 10° to Saturn’s upper right and outside a binocular field that shows both planets. Rising about four hours before daybreak, Neptune achieves a moderate altitude during morning twilight. Without bright stars to guide you there, the planet is a challenging sight. This site will provide finder charts later in the summer when it is higher and in a darker sky on moonless nights.
Evening Planets
Venus continues to widen a gap with Jupiter, while Mercury retreats into bright evening twilight. An hour after sundown, brilliant Venus is 15° above the west-northwest horizon. It steps eastward toward a conjunction with Regulus, Leo’s brightest star, on July 9.
Bright Jupiter is nearly 12° to Venus’ lower right. It slowly rambles eastward in front of Gemini, 7.8° to Pollux’s lower left, one of the Twins. The planet is lower each evening at this time after sunset. The Jovian Giant remains visible near the horizon because it is the fourth brightest celestial body.
If it were not for Jupiter’s proximity, Mercury would be a very challenging sight. The Elusive Planet is 4.3° to Jupiter’s lower right, but less than 5° above the horizon. It is considerably dimmer than it was a week ago. Because observing prospects continue to worsen during the next several nights, we say goodbye to Mercury as it fades into evening twilight and approaches inferior conjunction next month.
With five planets visible and a First Quarter moon, look for the planets during the nighttime hours on this first night of summer.
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