One last chance to see Venus as it fades from our sky in June

Find out what planets are worth observing in the sky this month.

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Published: May 24, 2022 at 9:30 am

Venus is literally at a turning point in the evening sky in June 2023, reaching a position known as greatest eastern elongation – when it appears furthest from the Sun on the sky’s dome – on 4 June, when it will be separated from the Sun by 45.4°.

Despite such an excellent separation, Venus’s position is starting to deteriorate as seen from the UK, with the planet appearing lower in the sky after sunset.

As a consequence, on 1 June Venus sets 3.5 hours after the Sun, but by the end of the month this figure will have dropped to just 2 hours.

At mag. –4.3, Venus appears to pass across the northern extremes of the Beehive Cluster, M44, on the evening of 12 and 13 June.

Chart showing the locations of Mars, Venus and the Beehive Cluster in June 2023. Credit: Pete Lawrence
Chart showing the locations of Mars, Venus and the Beehive Cluster in June 2023. Credit: Pete Lawrence

This will be a very tricky thing to observe due to the bright evening twilight, which is always present while Venus is above the horizon.

A 12%-lit waxing crescent Moon sits near Venus on the evening of 21 June. On this date, mag. 1.7 Mars will appear close by too.

The two planets are 3.6° apart at the end of June, but Mars will be hard to spot against bright twilight.

On the evening of 4 June, Venus will reach dichotomy, appearing half-lit. But does it look 50%-lit to you?

Venus’s changing appearance as it orbits; it’s now approaching 50% lit (dichotomy). Credit: Pete Lawrence
Venus’s changing appearance as it orbits; it’s now approaching 50% lit (dichotomy). Credit: Pete Lawrence

The phase anomaly or Schröter effect is a phenomenon caused by Venus’s thick atmosphere, which affects the visual timing of dichotomy.

Through a telescope, Venus appears to reach 50%-lit a few days early when in the evening sky and a few days late when in the morning sky.

Take a look for yourself, making as many phase estimates as you can from late May through to mid-June.

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How to see the planets, June 2023

The phase and relative sizes of the planets in June 2023 month. Each planet is shown with south at the top, to show its orientation through a telescope
The phase and relative sizes of the planets in June 2023 month. Each planet is shownwith south at the top, to show its orientation through a telescope

Venus

  • Best time to see: 1 June, from 1 hour after sunset
  • Altitude: 19°
  • Location: Gemini
  • Direction: West-northwest
  • Features: Phase, subtle surface markings
  • Recommended equipment: 75mm or larger

Mercury

  • Best time to see: 15 June, 30 minutes before sunrise
  • Altitude: 2° (extremely low)
  • Location: Taurus
  • Direction: East-northeast

After a disappointing show last month, Mercury fares only marginally better during June. It’s a morning planet, but being located south of the ecliptic plane, fails to gather much altitude before sunrise. On the plus side, it is brightening and by mid-month, shining at mag. –0.6, Mercury rises 50 minutes before the Sun.

On 16 Junea 4%-lit waning crescent Moon sits 7.4° west and slightly north of the planet (above and to the right from the UK). On 17 June, the now 1%-lit waning crescent Moon lies 5.4° to the northeast of Mercury (to the left from the UK). As the month progresses, Mercury appears brighter but it closes in on the Sun’s position, becoming lost in the glare during the last third of June.

Mars

  • Best time to see: 1 June, from midnight BST (23:00 UT)
  • Altitude: 9° (low)
  • Location: Cancer
  • Direction: West-northwest

An evening planet, mag. +1.6 Mars appears to cross the Beehive Cluster, M44, between 1 and 3 June, but low altitude and bright twilight make this tricky to see from the UK. The best strategy is to look for mag. –4.2 Venus low above the northwest horizon as the sky starts to get dark; Mars and the cluster are to the left and up a bit from brilliant Venus, as seen from the UK.

Mars and Venus themselves appear to converge throughout June, joined by a waxing crescent Moon on the evenings of 21 and 22 June. On 28 June, Mars and Venus appear 3.6° apart. By the end of the month, Mars shines at mag. +1.7, appearing 4 arcseconds across through the eyepiece, which is too small for significant detail to be seen.

Jupiter

  • Best time to see: 30 June, 03:00 BST (02:00 UT)
  • Altitude: 10°
  • Location: Aries
  • Direction: East

Jupiter is a morning object, but the planet never manages to gain much height before the morning twilight engulfs it. A 15%-lit waning crescent Moon sits 0.6° to the north of the planet at 06:00 BST (05:00 UT) on 14 June.

The Sun will be up at this time, but if you can find the Moon, this is a good opportunity to try to spot Jupiter under daylight conditions.

Saturn

  • Best time to see: 30 June, 02:20 BST (01:20 UT)
  • Altitude: 16°
  • Location: Aquarius
  • Direction: Southeast

Saturn’s situation is slowly improving, but it remains less than ideally placed this month. This is due to the planet having a low altitude and the dawn twilight making the sky too bright to give a decent view. A 58%-lit waning gibbous Moon sits 4° below mag. +0.7 Saturn on the morning of 10 June.

Uranus

Not visible

Neptune

Not visible

Neptune is a morning object that’s tricky to view, lost as it is in the dawn twilight.

This guide originally appeared in the June 2023 issue of BBC Sky at Night Magazine.

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