Join EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd and find out about the upcoming, super-spectacular Venus-Jupiter conjunction. Watch in the player above, or on YouTube.
On June 8 and 9, 2026, the 2 brighest planets – Venus and Jupiter – will have a spectacular conjunction. They’ll be approximately 3 moon-widths apart (roughly 1.5 degrees). Chart via EarthSky.
These charts are mostly set for mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
May morning planets: Mars and Saturn
This all-sky chart shows Mars and Saturn are low in the east shortly before sunrise in mid-May. As the month proceeds, Saturn will rise more quickly than the slowly ascending Mars. This will create a greater distance between them in the morning sky. Note that these planets lie along the path the sun travels in the daytime (the green line on our chart). Chart via EarthSky.
May 26 and 27 evenings: Moon near Spica
Late on the evenings of May 26 and 27, the waxing gibbous moon will be close to Spica, the brightest star in Virgo the Maiden. The star might be hard to see in the moon’s bright glow. They’ll set several hours after midnight. Chart via EarthSky.
May 28 and 29 evenings: Moon near Antares and Zubenelgenubi
In the late evening hours of May 28 and 29, the bright waxing gibbous moon will shine near Antares and the star with the strange sounding name, Zubenelgenubi. Antares is the brightest star in Scorpius the Scorpion. And Zubenelgenubi is the brightest star in Libra the Scales. Chart via EarthSky.
May 30-31 overnight: Full Blue Moon and smallest full moon of 2026
At sunset on May 30, the full Blue Moon will rise in the east close to the bright red star Antares, the brightest star in Scorpius the Scorpion. The crest of the full moon falls at 8:45 UTC on May 31. That’s 3:45 a.m. CDT. So, it’s almost as full when it rises in the east after sunset on May 30 and May 31. Plus it’s the second of three full micromoons – or most distant full moons – in a row in 2026. In fact, it’ll be the smallest full moon of 2026. It’ll be 252,360 miles (406,135 km) away. The average moon distance is 238,900 miles (384,472 km) away. Chart via EarthSky.
May 31 evening: Moon near Antares
On the evening of May 31, the waning gibbous Blue Moon will be near the bright red star Antares. It’s the brightest star in the constellation of Scorpius the Scorpion.They’ll be visible until dawn. Chart via EarthSky.
June evenings: Wow! Watch Venus, Jupiter and Mercury now
Shortly after sunset on June 1, brilliant Venus will lie below bright Jupiter, while the dimmer Mercury will lie closer to the horizon. Chart via EarthSky.Shortly after sunset on June 3, brilliant Venus will approach bright Jupiter, with Mercury nearby. Chart via EarthSky.On June 5, shortly after sunset, brilliant Venus will be inching closer to bright Jupiter, with elusive Mercury lower on the horizon. Chart via EarthSky.Shortly after sunset on June 7, brilliant Venus will lie close to bright Jupiter. And the fainter Mercury is nearby. Chart via EarthSky.Shortly after sunset on June 8, brilliant Venus will appear next to bright Jupiter. They’ll be a spectacular sight and only 3-full-moon widths apart! Your little pinky held at arm’s length, will fit between them. Meanwhile, little Mercury will lie below them in the evening twilight. Chart via EarthSky.Shortly after sunset on June 9, brilliant Venus will still be near bright Jupiter, forming a dazzling duo that evening. However, Venus has begun its ascent away from Jupiter. Jupiter will head toward Mercury, which is low in the twilight’s glow. Chart via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
June 1 evening: Moon and the Teapot
On the evening of June 1, the waning gibbous moon will hang near the stars of the asterism of Sagittarius called the Teapot. The stars of the Teapot may be difficult to spot near the bright, waning gibbous moon. Look for them a few hours after sunset. Chart via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
June evening planets
Here’s an all-sky chart – centered around June 8 – showing brilliant Venus shining in the west about 60 minutes after sunset with bright Jupiter lying next to it. Much closer to the western horizon is the fainter Mercury. Note that these planets lie along the path the sun travels in the daytime (the green line on our chart). Chart via EarthSky.
June morning planets: Northern Hemisphere
Here’s an all-sky chart showing the 2 planets in the eastern sky shortly before sunrise in June. The brightest and highest planet is Saturn. Closer to the horizon is Mars. As the month proceeds, Saturn pulls farther away from the slowly ascending Mars. Note that these planets lie along the path the sun travels in the daytime (the green line on our chart). Chart via EarthSky.
June 8: Watch for the 3rd quarter moon
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mohamed Mohamed in Tripoli, Libya, captured the last quarter moon on December 23, 2024. Thank you, Mohamed! The moment of the 3rd quarter moon will fall at 10 UTC on June 8, 2026. That’s 5 a.m. CDT. It’ll rise after midnight your local time and set around noon. Look for it high in the sky before dawn.
Most meteor showers are easy to observe. Just find a dark sky and look up! But what about meteor showers that happen in the daytime, when the sun is up? The Arietids are sometimes said to be the most active daytime meteor shower. In 2026, their predicted peak will be around the mornings of June 10. You might catch some Arietids around that morning in the dark hour before dawn. Chart via EarthSky.
On the mornings of June 10 and 11, the waning crescent moon will shine near Saturn. Look for them a few hours before sunrise. Chart via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
June 15: New supermoon
This GOES-19 CORR1 coronagraph from November 18-19, 2025 (designed to show coronal mass ejections from the sun), captured a fun view of the new moon, which would normally not be visible from Earth during this phase. The moment of new moon will fall at 2:54 UTC on June 15, 2026. That’s 9:54 p.m. CDT on June 14. In fact, this is the 3rd of 5 new supermoons in a row. And it’s the closest new supermoon of 2026. It’ll be 221,966 miles (357,221 km) away. Compare that with the average moon distance of 238,900 miles (384,472 km). New moons rise and set with the sun. Nights around the new moon are perfect for stargazing. See EarthSky’s best places to stargaze. Images via NOAA/ GOES.
June 15: Mercury at greatest elongation from the sun
From the Northern Hemisphere, shortly after sunset, Mercury will lie below the much brighter planets Venus and Jupiter, low on the western. It’ll reach its greatest elongation from the sun at 20 UTC on June 15. At that time, Mercury will be 25 degrees from the sun in our sky. Mercury will slip away before the end of the month. Chart via EarthSky.From the Southern Hemisphere, shortly after sunset, Mercury will lie below the much brighter planets Venus and Jupiter, low on the western. It’ll reach its greatest elongation from the sun at 20 UTC on June 15. At that time, Mercury will be 25 degrees from the sun in our sky. Mercury will slip away before the end of the month. Chart via EarthSky.
June 16 after sunset: Moon, Venus, Jupiter and Mercury
On the evening of June 16, shortly after sunset, check out the pretty waxing crescent moon. It’ll hang low in the western sky after sunset. And it’ll be near the brilliant planet Venus and the bright planet Jupiter. And it’ll be close to the elusive planet Mercury. Look for them about 35 minutes after sunset. Chart via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
June 17 after sunset: Spectacular! Moon, Venus, Jupiter and Mercury
On the evening of June 17, about 40 minutes after sunset, check out the pretty waxing crescent moon. It’ll be close to the brilliant planet Venus and near the bright planet Jupiter. Plus the planet Mercury is nearby. Also look for the glow of earthshine on the unlit portion of the moon. That’s light reflected off Earth. Chart via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
June 18 and 19 evenings: Moon, Venus and Regulus
On the evenings of June 18 and 19, the waxing crescent moon will be near brilliant Venus and Regulus, the brightest star in Leo the Lion. Regulus is the bright dot at the bottom of a backward question-mark pattern of stars known as the Sickle. They’ll set around midnight. Chart via EarthSky.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Lorraine Boyd captured this view from New York on November 9, 2024. She wrote: “Peeking through tree limbs at the first quarter moon (50% illumination), just after sunset.” Thank you, Lorraine. This month’s moment of 1st quarter moon will fall at 21:55 UTC on June 21, 2026. That’s 4:55 p.m. CDT. A 1st quarter moon rises around noon your local time and sets around midnight. Watch for a 1st quarter moon high in the sky at sundown.
Satellite views of Earth on the solstices and equinoxes. From left to right, a June solstice, a September equinox, a December solstice and a March equinox. To understand these images, look at the poles. Notice that at the June solstice, the North Pole is in sunlight. At the December solstice, the South Pole is in sunlight. In 2026, the June solstice moment will fall at 8:25 UTC on June 21 (3:25 a.m. CDT). Read more about these images, which are via Robert Simmon (Sigma Space Corporation)/ NASA.
June 22 and 23 evenings: Moon and Spica
On the evenings of June 22 and 23, the waxing gibbous moon will be near Spica, the brightest star in Virgo the Maiden. You can also catch them until after midnight. Chart via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
June 26 and 27 evenings: Moon near Antares
About an hour after sunset on June 26 and 27, the bright waxing gibbous moon will shine near Antares. Antares is the brightest star in Scorpius the Scorpion. Chart via EarthSky.
At sunset on June 29, the full Strawberry Moon will rise in the east near the asterism of Sagittarius called the Teapot. Though the moon will be so bright that it will drown out the Teapot’s stars. The crest of the full moon falls at 23:57 UTC on June 29. That’s 6:57 p.m. CDT. Plus it’s the last of 3 full micromoons – or most distant full moons – in a row in 2026. It’ll be 251,811 miles (405,251 km) away. The average moon distance is 238,900 miles (384,472 km) away. Chart via EarthSky.
June 30 evening: Moon near Teapot
On the evening of June 30, the bright waning gibbous moon will hang near the stars of the asterism of Sagittarius called the Teapot. Look for them a few hours after sunset. They’ll be visible all night. Chart via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
May stars
If you’re out stargazing on any May evening, look for these stars and constellations overhead in the sky.
On May evenings, the Big Dipper is high overhead in the sky. The Big Dipper is an asterism – a well know pattern of stars – in the constellation of Ursa Major the Great Bear. It’s handy to locate the North Star, Polaris. And you can use the Big Dipper to locate Leo the Lion. Draw an imaginary line southward from the pointer stars in the Big Dipper – the 2 outer stars in the Dipper’s bowl – to point toward Leo the Lion. The brightest star in Leo is Regulus.On May evenings, near your zenith – overhead in the sky – you’ll see Leo the Lion. There are 2 main shapes that make up Leo. First are the stars that form a backward question mark representing Leo’s head. This is also known as the Sickle. The bright star Regulus is the period at the bottom of the backward question mark. The second shape is the triangle that represents the Lion’s hindquarters. Scan Leo with even a medium-sized telescope and you’ll spy some of the dozens of galaxies in this region of the sky. Chart via EarthSky.The Spring Triangle is an asterism with 3 bright stars at its corners: Arcturus, Spica and Regulus. All 3 stars are in different constellations. Regulus is in Leo the Lion. Arcturus is in Boötes the Herdsman. And Spica is in Virgo the Maiden. But some stargazers see a smaller triangle of stars. This trio of stars consists of Arcturus, Spica and Denebola, a star in Leo. Image via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
June stars
If you’re out stargazing on any June evening, look for these stars and constellations overhead in the sky.
Boötes the Herdsman
Almost overhead on June evenings is bright orange Arcturus. It’s in the constellation Boötes the Herdsman. Boötes has the shape of a kite, and Arcturus is at the point where you’d attach a tail. You can’t miss its distinctive shape. Chart via EarthSky.
The Big Dipper and Little Dipper
Ursa Major the Great Bear is home to the Big Dipper. The Big Dipper is an asterism – a well-known group of stars – not an official constellation. You’ll find the Big Dipper high overhead from mid-northern latitudes in June evening skies. You can use the 2 outer stars in the Big Dipper’s bowl – sometimes called the Pointers – to find Polaris, the North Star. And it’s the end star in the handle of the Little Dipper. Chart via EarthSky.
Hercules the Hero and the Hercules Cluster
Hercules is a faint constellation. But its midsection contains the easy-to-see Keystone asterism. You can find Hercules between the bright stars Vega in Lyra the Harp and Arcturus in Boötes the Herdsman. And once you find the Keystone, you can easily locate M13, the Hercules cluster. Chart via EarthSky.
Have fun exploring the sky!
Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
May evening planets
Brilliant Venus lies above the western horizon as darkness falls. Bright Jupiter shines higher in the sky. Throughout the month, the 2 planets will move closer to each other. They will have a spectacular close encounter around June 8. They’ll be about 9 degrees apart at the end of May. And both of them will set before midnight by month’s end. Chart via EarthSky.As darkness falls, Jupiter will shine brightly high in the western sky. And it’ll be near the twin stars of Gemini, Castor (the slightly dimmer one) and Pollux (the slightly brighter one). The moon and Jupiter will make a lovely pair on May 20. Jupiter and Venus will be inching closer to each other all month and will make a spectacular pair in the evening sky around June 8. Jupiter will set around midnight by month’s end. Chart via EarthSky.For viewers in the Northern Hemisphere, on the last few days of May, little Mercury will appear in the bright evening twilight low above the western horizon. Brilliant Venus and bright Jupiter will shine nearby. Mercury will reach its greatest distance from the sun on June 15. Chart via EarthSky.For viewers in the Southern Hemisphere, on the last few days of May, little Mercury will appear in the bright evening twilight low above the western horizon. Brilliant Venus and bright Jupiter will shine nearby. Mercury will reach its greatest distance from the sun on June 15. Chart via EarthSky.
May morning planets
In the first half of May, Saturn will sit low in the bright eastern twilight shortly before sunrise. And, nearby and closer to the horizon, look for the dimmer planet Mars. In the second half of May, Saturn will pull away from Mars, and Mars will slowly climb higher behind it. Chart via EarthSky.
June evening planets
In the 2nd half of June, Venus and Jupiter will move away from each other with Jupiter slowly approaching the horizon. The much fainter Mercury will lie below Jupiter. As the month proceeds, Mercury moves closer to the horizon and becomes even fainter and more difficult to spot. Chart via EarthSky.
June morning planets
In the first half of June, Mars sits low in the bright eastern twilight shortly before sunrise. In the second half of June, it rises higher and moves near the delicate Pleiades star cluster. Chart via EarthSky.In June, Saturn will lie in the east as morning twilight begins. Chart via EarthSky.
Sky dome map for visible planets and night sky
Here is the sky dome view for May 2026. 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’s 2026 Astronomical Calendar.Here is the sky dome view for June 2026. 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’s 2026 Astronomical Calendar.
Bottom line: Visible planets and night sky guide. Don’t miss an exciting video with EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd about the upcoming conjunction of Venus and Jupiter, the two brightest planets.
Meet Marcy Curran, our voice of the night sky on EarthSky YouTube. Check out her popular short videos in the Sky category on our YouTube channel. When she's not making videos, Marcy is an EarthSky editor, helping to keep our night sky guide up-to-date and just generally helping to keep the wheels turning around here. Marcy has enjoyed stargazing since she was a child, going on family camping trips under the dark skies of Wyoming. She bought her first telescope in time to see Halley’s Comet when it visited the inner solar system in 1986. She co-founded her local astronomy club and remains an active board member. Marcy taught astronomy at her local community college for over 20 years. She and her husband live in Wyoming, in a rural location, with an all-sky camera and super-good horizon views! And, their observatory will soon be ready to photograph the night sky.
“I can sometimes see the moon in the daytime” was a cosmic revelation that John Jardine Goss first discovered through personal observations at age 6. It shook his young concept of the universe and launched his interest in astronomy and stargazing, a fascination he still holds today. John is past president of the Astronomical League, the largest U.S. federation of astronomical societies, with over 24,000 members. He's earned the title of Master Observer and is a regular contributor to the video series, “Global Star Party.” He has authored the celestial observing guides “Exploring the Starry Realm,” and “Carpe Lunam,” and “Take Your First Steps, an Introduction to Amateur Astronomy.” John also wrote for twenty years the monthly stargazing column, Roanoke Skies, for the Roanoke Times, and currently writes a bimonthly column, Skywatch, for Blue Ridge Country magazine. He has contributed to Sky and Telescope magazine, the IDA Nightscape, the Astronomical League’s Reflector magazine, and the RASC Observer’s Handbook.
Deborah Byrd (asteroid 3505 Byrd) helps edit EarthSky.org and is a frequent host of EarthSky videos. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named in her honor in 1990, a Public Service Award from the National Science Board in 2003, and the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2020. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
Kelly Kizer Whitt - EarthSky’s nature and travel vlogger on YouTube - writes and edits some of the most fascinating stories at EarthSky.org. She's been writing about science, with a focus on astronomy, for decades. She began her career at Astronomy Magazine and made regular contributions to other outlets, including AstronomyToday and the Sierra Club. She has nine published books, including a children's picture book, Solar System Forecast, and a young adult dystopian novel, A Different Sky.
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