June 21, 2021: Jupiter begins retrograde, moving westward compared to the distant stars, today. The Jovian Giant, among the stars of Aquarius, is in the southern sky before sunrise.
Saturn
2021, July 6: Venus – Saturn Opposition
July 6, 2021: This is the second bright planet – planet opposition this month. Venus and Saturn are in opposite directions from Earth. Venus sets about the time that Saturn rises. After this date, Venus and Saturn together are in the evening sky until early 2022.
2021, June 26 – June 30: Bright Moon, Morning Planets
June 26 – June 30, 2021: The bright gibbous moon passes Jupiter and Saturn in the morning sky before sunrise. Observe that the moon is in a different spot each morning, farther east toward the impending sunrise.
2021, July 1, Saturn – Mars Opposition
July 1, 2021: Saturn and Mars are in opposite directions in the sky. Mars sets as Saturn rises. In about a week, the two planets are visible in the sky at the same time. This event signals that the planet parade is starting to reorganize. During July, three other planet – planet oppositions occur, leading up to a challenging view of the five bright planets during mid-August.
2021, June 16, Sidewalk Solar System
June 16, 2021: A summer project is to build a sidewalk solar system model. The scale uses the sun’s size as the size of a basketball. Earth’s distance is 88 feet.
2021, June 17: Morning Planets
June 17, 2021: At mid-month, bright Jupiter and Saturn are in the southern sky before sunrise. Saturn is retrograding in Capricornus. Jupiter’s eastward direction is slowing as it turns westward to retrograde beginning June 21.
2021, Mid-June: Morning Winged Horse
Mid-June, 2021: As morning twilight begins – quite early this time of year – the great winged horse is in the south-southeast. The Great Square of Pegasus is made of moderately bright stars. The horse’s neck and head extend toward the south. A star cluster is off the tip of the horse’s nose.
2021, August 18: Challenging View, Five Planets, Moon
August 18, 2021: During bright twilight, five planets and the moon are in the sky simultaneously after sunset. This is a challenging observation made with the assistance of a binocular or spotting scope. Mercury and Mars are at their closest in the west, with brilliant Venus to the upper left. The moon, Saturn, and Jupiter are in the southeastern sky. The Mercury – Mars conjunction is the closest until 2032.
2021, June 5: Early June Morning Planets
2021, June: With a crescent moon in the eastern sky, bright Jupiter and Saturn are in the southern sky. Saturn is retrograding in Capricornus, while Jupiter begins to slow its eastward progress in Aquarius.
2021, May 31: Goodbye, Mercury!
May 31, 2021: The planet parade is cut to four bright participants as Mercury departs the evening sky after tonight’s final appearance. “Goodbye, Mercury!” until it appears in the morning sky during early summer. This morning the moon is near Saturn and Jupiter in the southeastern sky. Brilliant Evening Star Venus, dim Mercury, and Mars are in the evening sky.