Mercury and Jupiter will be in conjunction on 4 June, when Jupiter will be shining at mag. –1.8 and Mercury at mag. –1.0.
At this brightness, both planets would be easy to see if it wasn’t for their very poor placement from the UK.
They rise together on the morning of 4 June, just 30 minutes before the Sun.
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This places them in the bright dawn twilight.
Given clear skies and a flat east-northeast horizon, it should be possible to see both using binoculars, or perhaps just with your eyes, but it will be tricky.
If you do use binoculars, take great care to only observe before sunrise. Stop as soon as the Sun appears.
If you spot the pair above the horizon before sunrise, they will be 33 arcseconds apart.
Their closest separation occurs at around 11:20 BST (10:20 UT), when they will be just short of 7 arcseconds apart.
To see this, you’ll need a means of locating both planets during daylight.
As this conjunction occurs just 12° west of the Sun, you’ll need to take great care and should only attempt it if you know what you’re doing.
If you manage to observe the Jupiter Mercury conjunction on 4 June 2024, or photograph the meeting, get in touch via contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com
