Visible planets and night sky guide for June

Jupiter: Mornings looking east

Jupiter becomes easier to see as the month progresses. It spends the month in the constellation Taurus the Bull. It’s shining at -1.8 magnitude most of the month, but that bright light is washed out in the morning twilight. Jupiter rose about 30 minutes before the sun on June 1 and will rise about two hours before sunrise by month’s end. It had a close pairing with Mercury on the morning of June 4, however they are challenging to spot in the morning twilight. And, the delicate Pleiades star cluster is nearby. Mars will lie higher in the sky.

Before dawn June 4 – 8: Arietid meteor shower

Watch for the Arietids in the dark hours before dawn breaks. There won’t be any moonlight to hinder meteor watching in the morning sky. The Arietids are sometimes said to be the most active daytime meteor shower.

June moon phases

Join EarthSky’s Marcy Curran for a 1-minute video preview of the moon phases – and dates when the moon will visit planets – for the month of June 2024.

June 6: New moon

The instant of new moon will fall at 12:38 UTC on June 6, 2024 (7:38 a.m. CDT). That night is a perfect time to enjoy stargazing under dark skies.

June 7 and 8 evenings: Moon near Gemini’s twin stars

On the evenings of June 7 and 8, 2024, the waxing crescent moon will shine near Pollux and Castor, the twin stars of Gemini. Even though they are called twins, they don’t look alike. Pollux is a bit brighter and shines with a golden light, while Castor is a white star. On both evenings, the unlit portion of the moon will exhibit the lovely glow of earthshine, which is reflected light from Earth. They’ll rise before sunset, travel across the sky’s dome and set before midnight.

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 11 evening: Moon near Regulus

On the evening of June 11, 2024, the waxing crescent moon will hang near the bright star Regulus, the brightest star in Leo the Lion. They’ll be visible until around midnight.

June 14: 1st quarter moon

The instant of 1st quarter moon will fall at 5:18 UTC on June 14 15, 2024 (12:18 a.m. CDT). A 1st quarter moon rises around noon your local time and sets around midnight. Watch for it high in the sky at sundown.

June 14: Moon reaches apogee

The moon will reach apogee – its farthest distance from Earth in its elliptical orbit around Earth – at 14 UTC (9 a.m. CDT) on June 14, 2024, when it’s 251,081 miles (404,076 kilometers) away.

June 14: Mercury at superior conjunction

Mercury moves behind the sun on June 14, 2024. This point in its orbit is called superior conjunction. It’ll emerge in the evening sky the last few days of June.

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 15 and 16 evenings: Moon near Spica

On the evenings of June 15 and 16, 2024, the fat waxing gibbous moon will hang near the bright star Spica in Virgo the Maiden. They’ll rise before sunset and be visible through several hours after midnight. Locations including Kazakhstan, western Russia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will see the moon pass in front of – or occult – Spica around 18 UTC on June 16. Others may see Spica close to the limb of the moon.

June 19 evening: Moon near Antares

On June 19, 2024, the bright red star Antares in Scorpius the Scorpion will lie close to the fat waxing gibbous. Also, sky watchers in locations including Papua New Guinea, eastern Indonesia, Solomon Islands and Fiji will see the moon pass in front of – or occult – Antares near 11 UTC on June 20. Other locations may see Antares very close to the limb of the moon.

June 20: Solstice

In 2024, the June solstice will fall at 20:51 UTC (3:51 p.m. CDT) on Thursday, June 20.

June 21 evening: Moon near the Teapot

The full moon will lie near the Teapot – an asterism in Sagittarius the Archer – on the evening of June 21, 2024. You can catch the moon and the Teapot until dawn.

June 22: Full moon

The full moon will occur at 1:08 UTC on June 22, 2024, (8:08 p.m. CDT on June 21). It’ll be visible all night.

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 27: Moon reaches perigee

The moon will reach perigee – its closest point in its elliptical orbit around Earth – at 12 UTC (7 a.m. CDT) on June 27, 2024, when it’s 229,463 miles (369,286 kilometers) away.

June 27 morning: Moon visits Saturn

In the early morning hours of June 27, 2024, the waning gibbous moon will hang close to Saturn. The bright star Fomalhaut will shine nearby. Also, sky watchers in locations including eastern Australia, northeastern New Zealand, Fiji and New Caledonia will see the moon pass in front of – or occult – Saturn near 15 UTC on June 27.

June 28: Last quarter moon

The instant of last quarter moon will fall at 21:53 UTC (4:53 p.m. CDT) on June 28, 2024. It’ll rise after midnight your local time and will set around noon. Look for it high in the sky before dawn.

June 30 mornings: Moon near Mars

On June 30, 2024, the waning crescent moon will lie close to the reddish planet Mars. The lit portion of the moon will point to the reddish planet. Also nearby will be the bright planet Jupiter and the Pleiades star cluster. The moon and Mars will rise about four hours before sunrise.

Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.

Stars and constellations overhead now

If you’re out stargazing on any 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.

The Big 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 the June evening skies. You can use the two outer stars in the Big Dipper’s bowl – sometimes called the Pointers – to find Polaris, the North Star.

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.

Have fun exploring the sky!

June morning planets

In June 2024, Mars will shine at 1st magnitude, and its disk will grow from 5 arcminutes in diameter to 5.4 arcminutes by the end of the month. The waning crescent moon was near Mars on the mornings of June 2 and 3, 2024. Mars began the month in the dim constellation of Pisces the Fish. And then it’ll move to the faint constellation Aries the Ram. It rose about 2 hours before sunrise on June 1 and will rise around 3 hours before sunrise by the end of June.

Saturn will shine around 1st magnitude in June 2024. Its ring system is closing – they’ll be edge-on in 2025 – and it’s getting farther from Earth. The bright star Fomalhaut shines nearby. Saturn spends the month in the faint constellation of Aquarius the Water Bearer. Saturn ends the month of June with a close pass from the moon. They’ll pair up on June 27. Observers in eastern Australia, northeastern New Zealand, Fiji and New Caledonia will see the moon pass in front of – or occult – Saturn near 15 UTC on June 27. Saturn rose about three hours before the sun on June 1 and will rise around midnight by month’s end.

Jupiter becomes easier to see as the month progresses. It spends the month in the constellation Taurus the Bull. It’s shining at -1.8 magnitude most of the month, but that bright light is washed out in the morning twilight. Jupiter rose about 30 minutes before the sun on June 1 and will rise about two hours before sunrise by month’s end. It had a close pairing with Mercury on the morning of June 4, however they are challenging to spot in the morning twilight. And, the delicate Pleiades star cluster is nearby. Mars will lie higher in the sky.

Mercury slips away in the glare of the morning sun at the beginning of June. It’ll be shining at magnitude -0.8. It will rise about 40 minutes before the sun. Before Mercury disappears from the morning sky, it had a close pairing with Jupiter in the morning twilight on June 4, 2024. The pair lied low on the horizon. Mercury will then emerge in the evening twilight by month’s end.

June evening planet

Mercury emerges in the evening sky at the end of June. Binoculars will help spot this little world. It’ll reach its greatest evening elongation on July 22, 2024, when it’s 27 degrees from the sun. It’ll be shining at magnitude 0.6. This will be the best evening apparition of 2024 for Southern Hemisphere observers. Mercury will be in the constellation Gemini the Twins. It’ll set about an hour after the sun by the end of June.

Where is Venus?

Venus is too close to the sun to be visible this month. It’ll emerge in the evening sky by the end of July.

Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.

Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.

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Looking for a dark sky? Check out EarthSky’s Best Places to Stargaze.

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 2024 in his Astronomical Calendar.

Guy Ottewell explains sky dome maps

Heliocentric solar system visible planets and more

The sun-centered charts come from Guy Ottewell. You’ll find charts like these for every month of 2024 in his Astronomical Calendar.

Guy Ottewell explains heliocentric charts.

Some resources to enjoy

For more videos of great night sky events, visit EarthSky’s YouTube page.

Watch EarthSky’s video about Two Great Solar Eclipses Coming Up

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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 visible planets (rise and set times for your location).

Visit TheSkyLive for precise views from your location.

Bottom line: Visible planets and night sky guide for June 2024. Jupiter becomes easier to see as the month progresses. The delicate Pleiades star cluster is nearby. Mars lies higher in the sky.