Monday, June 01, 2026
June Skies 2026, and astrophiz podcast
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| Western sky on the evening of Wednesday, June 8 as seen from Adelaide at 18:11 ACST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Venus Jupiter, Pollux and Castor form a battered line, ith Mercury below, very close to epsilon Geminorum. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset). | Western sky on the evening of Thursday, June 17 as seen from Adelaide
at 18:11 ACST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Mercury, Jupiter and the thin crescent Moon form a triangle, as does Jupiter Venus and the Moon. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset). |
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| Western sky on the evening of Wednesday, June 24 as seen from Adelaide
at 18:12 ACST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Mercury is at its greatest elongation from the Sun. Mercury, Jupiter and Venus and the Moon form a line. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset). | Eastern morning sky on Tuesday, June 30 as seen from Adelaide at 5:54 ACST (90 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). Mars is within binocular distance of the Pleiades (brackets) and Uranus. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise) |
| June | |
| 08 June 2026 | Venus near to Pollux in the evening twilight (5°) |
| 10 June 2026 | Venus close to Jupiter in the evening twilight (2°) with Mercury below |
| 17 June 2026 | Crescent Moon close to Jupiter in the evening twilight, with Mercury below and Venus above forming a kite pattern |
| 18 June 2026 | Waxing Moon close to Venus in evening twilight (0.3°) |
| 21 June 2026 | Earth at solstice |
| 22 June 2026 | First Quarter, Lunar X visible at 0941 UT T |
| 25 June 2026 | Mercury and Jupiter close in the evening twilight forming a line with Venus |
| 29 June 2026 | Mars near the Pleiades |
Mercury returns to the western evening sky this month. From about the 2nd it is seen low above the horizon at nautical twilight. It rises rapidly and is very close to epsilon Geminorum on the 8th, with a level horizon you can see it and the pair of Jupiter and Venus close together. From mid to late June Mercury is within 5° of Jupiter and is closest at 4° on the 25th. On the 17th Mercury, Jupiter and the thin crescent Moon form a triangle. On the 24th Mercy is at it greatest elongation from the Sun and forms a triangle with Jupiter and Pollux. After this the pair sink towards the horizon and twilight.
Venus climbs higher in the evening sky in June coming closer to Jupiter. On the 1st Venus is Jupiter, about 8° from Jupiter. On the 4th Venus is about 5° from Jupiter 6° and from the bright star Pollux, making an attractive triangle. Between the 8th and 9th Venus is less than 2° from Jupiter and forms a line with Pollux. At the time the pair are visible together in low power binoculars and wide field telescope objectives. On the 15th, Venus is midway between Jupiter and the Beehive Cluster (M44). On the 18th, the cluster is about 2° above Venus with the 4-day-old waxing crescent Moon 4° above M44. On the 20th, Venus and the Beehive are at their closest, at 2° apart.
Jupiter is past opposition and is visible in the early evening, setting around 10 pm. It is low in the northwestern horizon forming a corked line with the stars Castor and Pollux. Venus rises to meet Jupiter. On the 4th Venus is about 5° from Jupiter 6° and from the bright star Pollux, making an attractive triangle. Between the 8th and 9th Venus is less than 2° from Jupiter and forms a line with Pollux. At the time the pair are visible together in low power binoculars and wide field telescope objectives. On the 17th, Jupiter is close to the crescent Moon at 2° apart. Jupiter, the Moon and Pollux and Castor form a rough line, While Jupiter Mercury and the Moon forms a triangle as does Jupiter Venus and the Moon.
Morning sky:
Mars is above the eastern horizon at nautical twilight in the morning. It is well below Saturn and the distance increased as the Month progresses. On the morning of the 13th, Mars will be 6° from the crescent Moon. During the Month Mars heads toward the Pleiades and Hyades. On the 30th, Mars is about 4° from the Pleiades star cluster (M45), and about 4° from Uranus Mars and the Pleiades will fit into a binocular field, as will Mars and Uranus (the pair are stunningly close on July 4).
Saturn is climbing higher in the morning skies in June. Saturn is now high enough for telescope observation, rising around 2:30 am at the beginning of the month. After the rings being edge on, the rings are now opening. On June 10th the waning crescent Moon is 8° from Saturn.
| June 1 | Moon at apogee |
| June 8 | Last Quarter Moon (ideal for star gazing) |
| June15 | Perigee New Moon (also ideal for star gazing) |
| June 22 | First Quarter Moon "Lunar X" visible |
| June 28 | Apogee Moon and Occultation of Antares |
| June 30 | Full Moon |
Dates and time Lunar X and V are visible. Typically visible from about 4hours from the starting time.
| Date | UT | AEST | ACST | AWST |
| June 22 | 09:41 | 20:41 | 20:11 | 17:41 (WA: X visible at twilight better when sky is full dark) |
The First Quarter Moon is clearly visible high above the north-western horizon forming. The Lunar X and V may be seen in a telescope or strong binoculars. The image shows the telescopic view at this time.
Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time.
Occultation of Antares 28 June:
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| The eastern sky at 17:19 ACST Sunday, May 31, as seen from Adelaide. The moon is about to occult the bright star Antares. The inset shows the telescopic view at the time. (click to embiggen). Click to embiggen | The eastern sky at 17:31 AEST Sunday, May 31, as seen from Sydney. The moon is about to occult the bright star Antares. The inset shows the telescopic view at the time. (click to embiggen). Click to embiggen | The eastern sky at 17:48 AEST Sunday, May 31, as seen from Melbourne. The moon is about to occult the bright star Antares. The inset shows the telescopic view at the time. (click to embiggen). Click to embiggen |
An early morning occultation best seen from the east coast south of the Gold Coast (which sees a graze). Everywhere else in Australia sees a close approach. The Moon is two days of full and sufficiently high in the sky for easy binocular/telescope observation, although telescope is best.
| Place | Disappears dark Limb | Reappears Bright Limb |
| Adelaide ACST | - | - |
| Brisbane AEST | - | - |
| Canberra AEST | 02:22 | 03:01 |
| Darwin ACST | - | - |
| Hobart AEST | 01:58 | 03:01 |
| Melbourne AEDST | 02:12 | 02:57 |
| Perth AWST | - | - |
| Sydney AEST | 02:27 | 03:03 |
Stars:
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| South-Eastern sky as seen from Adelaide at 18:48 ACST on June 15 (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). The dark constellation of the Emu is prominent. Scorpius form the fringe of feathes on the Emus body. Similar views will been seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (90 minutes after sunset) | Southern sky as seen from Adelaide at 20:20 ACST on June 15 . The Southern Cross is at its highest, and the magnificent globular cluster Omega Centauri (indicated by brackets) is also at its highest. Similar views will been seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click to embiggen) |
Scorpius the scorpion, is well above the eastern horizon in the east when the sky is fully dark. It is almost galaxy season, with Sagittarius, and the heart of the Milky way, rising.
By midnight, Scorpius lies across the Zenith with Sagittarius and the heart of the galaxy beneath. Now is a good time to see the dark constellation of the Emu rising in the sky shortly after astronomical twilight. The appearance of the Emu in June tells the people to stop collecting emu eggs for food.
At 8 pm local time, the southern cross is at its highest, and the magnificent globular cluster Omega Centauri is also at its highest. The globular cluster 47 Tucana is at its lowest almost due south. The False cross, the southern Pleiades and the riot of clusters around eta Carina are also prominent.
Labels: Astrophiz, Monthly sky
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