Translated material
Astronomical calendar for June 2026 - Trinity version - Science
June Dance of the Planets
The evening sky in June will be decorated with a “small parade of planets”. Already in the first ten days of the month, it is especially interesting to observe Jupiter and Venus - the two brightest planets in the sky. Every evening they will become noticeably closer.
The culmination will come on June 9: the distance between the planets will be reduced to just one and a half degrees. This means that they can be seen in the same field of view even with binoculars with 15-20x magnification. Look for them in the west shortly after sunset, preferably with an open horizon.
The phenomenon is certainly very spectacular and is excellent for both visual observations and astrophotography. At the same time, it cannot be called rare: a similar approach was observed on the morning of August 12, 2025, and an even closer one on March 1, 2023.
After June 10, Venus and Jupiter will begin to diverge. At this time, they will be joined by Mercury, reaching its maximum evening elongation. And on June 17, the picture of the “parade of planets” will be complemented by the thin crescent of the Moon.
Observers in the Americas will see an even rarer event: the Moon will temporarily obscure Venus.
On June 19, Venus will move into the constellation Cancer and will appear against the background of the open cluster Manger (M44). This is one of the most noticeable star clusters; far from city illumination, it is visible to the naked eye as a foggy speck, but through binoculars it breaks up into a scattering of stars. On this day, bright Venus will effectively highlight its beauty.
However, observations will not be easy: in northern latitudes, white nights will interfere, and in the southern regions of Russia, by the time darkness falls, Venus will already be low above the horizon.
Events of June
June 8 — Moon in last quarter phase
June 9 - Close conjunction of Venus and Jupiter (1.5°)
June 10 - Moon near Saturn
June 13 - Moon near Mars
June 15 — Asteroid (14) Irene in opposition to the Sun
June 15 - New Moon
June 15 - Mercury at maximum eastern (evening) elongation 24°
June 17 - “Mini Parade of Planets”: Venus, the thin crescent Moon, Jupiter and Mercury will line up
June 17 - Lunar occultation of Venus with visibility in North and South America
June 19 - Venus near the open star cluster Manger (M44)
June 21 - Summer Solstice
June 21 — Moon in first quarter phase
June 23 - Moon near the star Spica
June 27 — Maximum action of the June Bootids meteor shower (variable shower, ZHR = 0–100)
June 29 - Full Moon
Alexander Smirnov