The binocular view is beautiful the telescopic view is stunning.

Don’t miss the Red Planet nestled among the stars of M44 on June 1 and 2. Mars dims 0.1 magnitude to 1.7 during June as it precedes Venus across Cancer and moves into Leo just after midmonth.

The telescopic view of Venus has changed radically, now showing a 32-percent-lit crescent spanning 34″. Regulus, Leo’s brightest star, is less than 6° from Mars on this last day of the month. Venus continues to chase the Red Planet, narrowing the gap between them to less than 4° by June 30 but never quite catching up, so there’s no real conjunction. Mars, in Leo, stands 4.5° from Venus, while M44 lies 7° west of Venus. You’ll see this pairing on June 21, when the two are 3° apart. Whenever a crescent Moon joins Venus, the view in evening twilight is stunning. Credit: Astronomy: Roen KellyĮntering the second week of June, Venus approaches the Beehive Cluster, arriving within 1.1° of these stars on June 12 and standing 0.8° north of M44 on the 13th. Just before midmonth, Venus mingles with the Beehive Cluster (M44, also called Praesepe) in Cancer, while Mars stands nearby. Watch the planet for the few days before and after greatest elongation and make your best judgment. Astronomers believe this effect is due to a combination of light scattering at twilight combined with the shading near the terminator of Venus. Called Schröter’s effect, Venus can appear exactly half lit a few days before eastern elongation. It crosses into Cancer June 3 and stands 10° from Mars, which is located nicely next to the Beehive Cluster (M44 more on that shortly).Ī telescopic view reveals Venus is 50 percent lit, although the timing of this so-called dichotomy is affected by a variety of circumstances. The planet lines up with Castor and Pollux, the constellation’s twin 1st-magnitude stars. On June 1, Venus is in Gemini, 30° above the western horizon 30 minutes after sunset. It stays highly visible all month, unmissable as it starts out at magnitude –4.4 and brightens to magnitude –4.7 by the end of June. At 45° from the Sun, the planet remains a spectacular evening star for more than three hours after sunset. Soon after sunset you’ll find Venus high in the evening sky, reaching its greatest eastern elongation June 4. Saturn and Jupiter appear after midnight and offer some fine views, while the predawn sky hosts Mercury, best seen in the first half of June. Meanwhile, Mars continues to fade but enjoys a beautiful meeting with the Beehive Cluster, a view not to be missed. Its brilliance captures attention long after sunset. Venus reaches its best for the year as an evening object this month. Some strange star in the sky that mystifies you?Įmail Ken Graun at What’sOutTonight for an answer.The Beehive Cluster (right) in Cancer receives two visitors this month: First Mars (shown here at left) as the month opens, then Venus less than two weeks later. Have a question about the night sky or astronomy? Packed with facts, mythology, Moon phases, meteor showers and more.Ĭlick here for a monthly SnapShot of the constellations. Indicates visible planets and best objects for binoculars and telescopes. Optimized for 1.5 hours after sunset but can be used for several hours after that. Useful anywhere in the mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere including the continental US, Hawaii, Europe, Japan, etc. Just click on the image to the left to print this

Astronomy skychart