Astronomy Essentials

Visible planets and night sky for June 2023

Two positions of the moon for June 2 and 3. A red dot, Antares, is in the middle. Plus a green ecliptic line.
The bright waxing gibbous moon will glow near fiery Antares, the brightest star in Scorpius the Scorpion, after sunset this evening, June 2, 2023. The following evening finds the full moon close to Antares. You can watch them move across the sky all night. Chart by John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.

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Visible planets (evening, in text).

Visible planets (morning, in text).

Sky dome maps.

Heliocentric solar system.

Some resources to enjoy.

Visible planets: Night sky guide for June 2023

June evenings: Venus and Mars

Positions of Venus and Mars in June along a green ecliptic line with three dots stars and a star cluster nearby.
In June, Venus, the brightest planet, will continue to dominate the western sky after sunset and move away from the Twin Stars of Gemini, Pollux and Castor. Venus will reach greatest elongation45 degrees – from the sun on June 4th. Mars, nearby, continues to fade in brightness as we race away from it in our orbit around the sun. Don’t miss Mars buzzing through the Beehive star cluster on June 1 and 2, 2023. Then, Venus buzzes by the Beehive on the evenings of June 12 and 13. Later in the month, the moon will sweep past these 2 inner planets on June 21 and 22. The white arrow shows Venus’ position along the ecliptic – or path of the sun, moon and planets (shown as a green line on our chart) – for the month of June, with the red arrow showing Mars’ path. Note how Venus and Mars get closer together over the month. On June 1st, the planets appear 10 degrees apart, and by month’s end they appear less than 4 degrees apart. Both planets are moving toward Regulus in Leo the Lion. Venus and Mars will set around midnight (your local time) at the beginning of June and around 11 p.m. at month’s end. Check out our video about Venus and Mars. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.

June mornings: Jupiter rises before the sun

Jupiter in June along a green ecliptic line with four dots and blue lines for Aries nearby.
Jupiter will be the brightest point of light in the morning sky and will be near the moon on June 14. Observing the giant planet will be easier at the end of the month, when Jupiter is about 30 degrees above the eastern horizon as twilight ends. Jupiter will rise about 4 a.m. your local time on June 1. And then it’ll rise about 2 a.m. at the end of June. Jupiter is in the dim constellation of Aries the Ram. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.

June mornings: Mercury before sunrise

Mercury in June along a green ecliptic line and white dots for Pleiades nearby.
Mercury will be coming off its recent morning greatest elongation and will continue to brighten through mid-month. However, it’s best viewed from the Southern Hemisphere since it remains low on the horizon for northern viewers. Start looking for it about 30-40 minutes before sunrise. Also, you might find it very low on the horizon near a thin crescent moon on June 16. It’ll disappear from the morning sky later in June on its way to superior conjunction with the sun on July 1. It will lie near the lovely Pleiades star cluster in the bright morning twilight. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.

June mornings: Saturn rising after midnight

Saturn in June along a green ecliptic line and white dots line with five dots for the Water Jar nearby.
Saturn shines in the sky before dawn below the Water Jar asterism in the constellation Aquarius the Water Bearer. It’ll rise at about 1:30 a.m. your local time in early June and before midnight at month’s end. It’ll be high in the morning sky. Watch for the moon to visit Saturn on June 9 and 10. Saturn will continue to brighten as it heads toward opposition in August. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.

The instant of full moon is at 3:42 UTC on June 4, 2023 (10:42 p.m. CDT on June 3, 2023)

June 5 and 6 mornings: Moon near the Teapot

Waning gibbous moon on two days near star pattern labeled Teapot and a green ecliptic line.
The waning gibbous moon will pass through the center of the Teapot – an asterism in Sagittarius the Archer – on the mornings of June 5 and 6, 2023. You can catch the moon and the Teapot around midnight until dawn. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.

Moon reaches perigee at 23 UTC (6 p.m. CDT) on June 6, 2023, when it’s 226,714 miles (364,861 km) away

Arietids – the most active daytime meteor shower – peaks on the morning of June 7, 2023

June 9 and 10 mornings: Moon near Saturn

Green ecliptic line with a dot for Saturn and the moon over two days.
On the mornings of June 9 and 10, 2023, look for the waning gibbous – and last quarter – moon near Saturn. You can catch the moon and Saturn for several hours before dawn. Saturn is getting easier to see in the morning sky. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.

The instant of last quarter moon is at 19:31 UTC (2:31 p.m. CDT) on June 10, 2023

June 12 and 13 evenings: Venus buzzes by the Beehive

Green line of ecliptic, with Venus and the Beehive in a little circle. Mars is above and Castor and Pollux below.
Brilliant Venus – our sky’s brightest planet – will take on the roll of queen bee when it passes by the Beehive star cluster on June 12 and 13, 2023. The Twin Stars of Gemini, Pollux and Castor, are nearby. Look west shortly after darkness falls for this interesting and beautiful sight. Read more about the Venus buzzes by the Beehive. Chart by John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.

June 13 and 14 mornings: Moon near Jupiter

Green ecliptic line with a dot for Jupiter and the waning crescent moon over two days.
The waning crescent moon will hang low in the east near Jupiter before dawn on June 13 and 14, 2023. Jupiter will be the brightest light in the morning sky, other than the moon. The moon will be closest to the giant planet on the morning of June 14. Also, look for the beautiful glow of earthshine on the thin crescent moon. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.

June 15 and 16 mornings: Moon near Mercury

Green ecliptic line with a dot for Mercury and Jupiter with the waning crescent moon over two days.
The thin waning crescent moon, complete with earthshine, will lie close to Mercury on the mornings of June 15 and 16, 2023. The bright planet Jupiter will be higher in the morning sky. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.

The instant of new moon is at 4:37 UTC on June 18, 2023 (11:37 p.m. CDT on June 17, 2023)

June 19 and 20 evenings: Moon near Venus, the twin stars and Mars

Waxing crescent moon on two days near white dots for Venus, Mars, Castor and Pollux, all along green ecliptic line.
On the evenings of June 19 and 20, 2023, the waxing crescent moon will float near the twin stars of Gemini, Castor and Pollux. Even though the twin stars are easy to pick out as 2 bright stars very close together, you’ll notice they don’t look exactly alike. Castor shines with a bright white light. And Pollux is a bit brighter than Castor and appears golden in color. Also nearby will be brilliant Venus and the steady red light of Mars. The beautiful glow on the unlit portion of the moon is earthshine. They’ll be visible for a few hours after sunset. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.

June solstice at 14:58 UTC (9:58 a.m. CDT) on June 21, 2023

June 21 evening: Moon, planets and stars on the solstice

Star chart with green ecliptic line with two planets, three stars and moon along it.
June 21, 2023, is a notable date because it marks the June solstice, the 1st day of summer for the Northern Hemisphere and 1st day of winter for the Southern Hemisphere. 2023’s solstice will feature the waxing crescent moon glowing next to brilliant Venus with the much, much dimmer Mars nearby. Above them will be the bright star Regulus in Leo the Lion. And below them will be the twin stars, Castor and Pollux, in the constellation Gemini. Look low in the west shortly after sunset for this beautiful scene in the darkening twilight. Chart by John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.

Moon reaches apogee at 19 UTC (2 p.m. CDT) on June 22, 2023, when it’s 251,894 miles (405,385 km) away

June 22 and 23 evenings: Moon near Venus, Mars and the Sickle

Green ecliptic line and dots forming backward question mark with the moon shown near the question mark star pattern and a white dot for Venus and a red dot for Mars.
The waxing crescent moon will glow near the planets Venus and Mars, plus the bright star Regulus in Leo the Lion, on the evenings of June 22 and 23, 2023. It will also lie near the dim star pattern – or asterism – known as the Sickle. You can catch the moon and the Sickle until around midnight. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.

June 25 and 26 evenings: Moon near Spring Triangle

Moon near green ecliptic line and three dots forming a triangle connected by blue lines making the Spring Triangle.
On the evenings of June 25 and 26, 2023, the waxing crescent – and 1st quarter – moon will lie along the southern edge of the star pattern known as the Spring Triangle. The Spring Triangle is an asterism made of the bright stars Arcturus in Boötes the Herdsman, Spica in Virgo the Maiden and Denebola in Leo the Lion at its corners. The moon and the Spring Triangle will be visible through about an hour after midnight. Note: sometimes the Spring Triangle is listed with Regulus instead of Denebola as the 3rd star. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.

The instant of 1st quarter moon is at 7:50 UTC (2:50 a.m. CDT) on June 26, 2023

June 27 evening: Moon near Spica

Green ecliptic line with white dots for the moon and a white dot for Spica.
On June 27, 2023, the bright waxing gibbous moon will glow near Spica, the brightest star in Virgo the Maiden. The moon and Spica will set a few hours after midnight. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.

June 29 and 30 evenings: Moon near Antares and Scorpius

Waxing gibbous moon on two days near red dot labeled Antares and white dots making up the constellation of Scorpius, plus a green ecliptic line.
The bright waxing gibbous moon will glow near fiery Antares, the brightest star in Scorpius the Scorpion, after sunset on June 29 and 30, 2023. You can catch the moon and Scorpius until a few hours before dawn. Chart via John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.

Visible planets (evening, June 2023, in text)

Venus, the brightest planet, will dazzle in the western sky after sunset and will reach greatest elongation45 degrees – from the sun on June 4th. Enjoy Venus while you can, because it’ll be ending its dominance of the evening sky in late July. Mars continues to fade in brightness (and size) in the western evening sky because we are racing away from it in our orbit around the sun. Yet, it’s still one of the brightest “stars” in the evening sky. Don’t miss Mars buzzing through the Beehive star cluster on June 1 and 2. Use binoculars to see a ruby among a sprinkling of diamond-like stars as it crosses in front of the Beehive star cluster. Of course, it’ll be stunning in a telescope. Then, Venus buzzes by the Beehive on the evenings of June 12 and 13. You’ll definitely need to use binoculars for this pairing, because Venus is so much brighter than even the brightest of the stars in the Beehive. Later in June, the moon will sweep past these two inner planets on the 21st and 22nd. Also this month, keep an eye on Venus as it catches up with Mars as the month goes by. On June 1st, Venus and Mars will be about 10 degrees apart, and they’ll be less than four degrees apart (the with of 8 full moons) at the end of the month. They won’t be close enough to be called a conjunction, but it’ll be fun to watch them as the month passes. Venus and Mars will set around midnight (your local time) at the beginning of June and around 11 p.m. at month’s end.

Visible planets (morning, June 2023, in text)

Jupiter will be the brightest point in the morning sky and will be near the moon on June 14. Observing the giant planet will be easier at the end of the month, when Jupiter is about 30 degrees above the eastern horizon as twilight ends. Jupiter will rise about 4 a.m. your local time on June 1. And then it’ll rise about 2 a.m. at the end of June.
Mercury will be coming off its recent morning greatest elongation and will continue to brighten through mid-month. However, it’s best viewed from the Southern Hemisphere since it remains low on the horizon for northern viewers. Start looking for it about 30-40 minutes before sunrise. Also, you might find it very low on the horizon near a thin crescent moon on June 16. It’ll disappear from the morning sky later in June on its way to superior conjunction with the sun on July 1.
Saturn will rise about 1:30 a.m. your local time in early June and rise before midnight at month’s end. So, it’ll be high in the morning sky. Watch for the moon to visit Saturn on June 9 and 10. Saturn will reach opposition in August and is already a good target for a telescope.

Sky dome maps for visible planets and night sky

The sky dome maps come from master astronomy chart-maker Guy Ottewell. You’ll find charts like these for every month of 2023 in his Astronomical Calendar. Guy explains:

The sky dome map for each month shows what is above the horizon at a convenient (your local) evening time for latitude 40 degrees north. If you travel north, stars at the south edge of the map disappear; at the north edge others spend more time above the horizon.

You can see the relation between the map and sky by holding the map over your face. The central point of the map is the overhead point, or zenith. Orient the map so the direction you are facing (east, west, north or south) is at the bottom.

Stars are shown down to magnitude 5.5, so you might require a dark sky to see some of the dimmer stars shown or the Milky Way. Also, the map only shows the more conspicuous constellations.

Planets are shown on the 16th of the month in the mid-evening sky, with symbols sized for brightness like the stars. All planets are visible to the unaided eye except Neptune. Furthermore, planets in the sky after midnight and in the twilight sky near sunset or sunrise will not appear on the sky dome maps.

The moon is shown (exaggerated eight times in size) at 0 UTC on the days when it is at first quarter and full phases. This is 7 p.m EST on the previous day. It is also in its geocentric position, that is, without parallax; as seen from northern latitudes, it is slightly farther south.

Major meteor showers are indicated by bursts of lines pointing out from their radiant. But some are not shown, because their radiants are not in view at map time.

The ecliptic is drawn as a thick curve. It marks the plane in which the Earth revolves around the sun.

The celestial equator curves from the east point to the west point of each map. At declination 0, it is the only line of declination shown. Ticks along it are at the 24 hours of right ascension.

Circle of constellations, planets, the moon, the Milky Way and celestial lines.
View larger. | Here is the sky dome view for June 2023. It shows what is above the horizon at mid-evening for mid-northern latitudes. The view may vary depending on your location. Image via Guy Ottewell. Used with permission.

Heliocentric solar system planets

The sun-centered charts come from Guy Ottewell. You’ll find charts like these for every month of 2023 here, in his Astronomical Calendar. Guy Ottewell explains:

In these views from ecliptic north, arrows (thinner when south of the ecliptic plane) are the paths of the four inner planets. Dots along the rest of the orbits are five days apart (and are black for the part of its course that a planet has trodden since the beginning of the year). Also, semicircles show the sunlit side of the new and full moon (vastly exaggerated in size and distance). Additionally, pairs of lines point outward to the more remote planets.

Phenomena such as perihelia (represented by ticks) and conjunctions (represented by lines between planets) are at dates that can be found in the Astronomical Calendar. Likewise, gray covers the half of the universe below the horizon around 10 p.m. at mid-month (as seen from the equator). The zodiacal constellations are in directions from the Earth at mid-month (not from the sun).

Circle with sun at center, planets around, and zodiac names on outer edge.
View larger. | Heliocentric view of solar system, June 2023. Chart via Guy Ottewell.

Some resources to enjoy

Don’t miss anything. Subscribe to daily emails from EarthSky. It’s free!

Visit EarthSky’s Best Places to Stargaze to find a dark-sky location near you.

Post your own night sky photos at EarthSky Community Photos.

Translate Universal Time (UTC) to your time.

See the indispensable Observer’s Handbook, from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

Visit Stellarium-Web.org for precise views from your location.

Almanac: Bright Planets (rise and set times for your location).

Visit TheSkyLive for precise views from your location.

Great resource and beautiful wall chart: Guy Ottewell’s zodiac wavy chart.

Cover of book with sky full of constellations over a camel caravan and title Astronomical Calendar 2023.
Amateur astronomers are buzzing! Guy Ottewell is offering his beloved Astronomical Calendar for 2023 in both electronic and printed versions.
A modern chair, a large plant and the zodiac wavy chart on the wall.
Guy Ottewell’s Zodiac Wavy Chart is a 2-by-3 foot (0.6 by 0.9 meter) poster displaying the movements of the sun, moon and planets throughout the year. You can purchase it here. Image via Guy Ottewell. Used with permission.

Bottom line: Visible planets in June: Venus and Mars are in the evening sky. Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury are in the morning sky. And there will be a lovely gathering of the moon, 2 planets and bright stars on the June solstice.

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Posted 
June 2, 2023
 in 
Astronomy Essentials

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