If you've never seen Mercury before, now's a great time to do so. The innermost planet of the Solar System can currently be seen with the naked eye and will be visible for most of June 2026 before likely disappearing around 20 June.
Although it reaches its greatest eastern elongation of 24.5° from the Sun on 15 June, viewing is complicated by the bright, lingering evening twilight of the upcoming summer solstice and a decreasing ecliptic tilt angle that keeps the planet low.
Fortunately, a major conjunction of Venus and Jupiter – which reach minimum separation on 9 June – serves as a visual guide.
Best window for Mercury in June 2026
The optimum time to start looking is 7 June. On this date, Mercury will:
- Shine at magnitude +0.0
- Become visible around 40 minutes after sunset
- Stay above the horizon for another 80 minutes
- Sit 13.6° from Venus in a line towards the Sun
Using the bright Jupiter-Venus conjunction as an anchor makes finding the slightly dimming Mercury much easier during the first half of the month.
Now let's look at what the rest of the planets are doing in June 2026.
Mercury
- Best time to see: 7 June from 40 minutes after sunset
- Altitude: 9°
- Location: Gemini
- Direction: Northwest
- Features: Phase, variation in surface brightness through larger scopes
- Recommended equipment: 75mm or larger
Read our full guide to observing Mercury in June 2026.
Venus
- Best time to see: 9 June, from 30 minutes after sunset
- Altitude: 16°
- Location: Gemini
- Direction: West-northwest
Venus and Jupiter provide the planetary highlight this month, reaching conjunction on 9 June, just 1.6° apart, above the west-northwest horizon after sunset. Venus shines at mag. –3.9, bright enough to punch through the early evening twilight. Jupiter will be dimmer at mag. –1.7, but should be fairly easy to pick out as the sky darkens as both planets head towards setting.
On 1 June, Venus sets two hours and 50 minutes after sunset. However, despite increasing its separation from the Sun, a declining ecliptic angle means that by 30 June it sets only two hours and seven minutes after sunset.
On 1 June, assuming clear skies and a flat west-northwest horizon, you should be able to see Venus and Jupiter against deep twilight. Both continue to approach one another until minimum separation on 9 June, after which Venus carries on heading east, leaving Jupiter to be swallowed by the evening twilight.
On 17 June, a 10%-lit waxing crescent Moon can be seen just 0.7° to the south of Venus, a stunning combination in its own right. By the end of the month, with a slightly less optimal post-sunset position, Venus will be around mag. –4.0 and appear 69% lit when viewed through a telescope.
Mars
- Best time to see: 30 June, one hour before sunrise
- Altitude: 5° (low)
- Location: Aries
- Direction: East-northeast
Mars is a morning planet, but currently not particularly well placed for viewing. Your best chance of spotting it will be towards the end of June when, shining at mag. +1.3, Mars will be visible low above the east-northeast horizon about an hour before sunrise.
Jupiter
- Best time to see: 9 June, from 30 minutes after sunset
- Altitude: 16°
- Location: Gemini
- Direction: West-northwest
As described with Venus, Jupiter is in conjunction with the bright inner planet on 9 June, separated by 1.6°. Jupiter will be shining at mag. –1.7, dimming from its month peak on 1 June of mag. –1.9. It shares the limelight with Venus, Mercury and a thin, waxing crescent Moon on 16 and 17 June, moving from Gemini into Cancer on 22 June.
Saturn
- Best time to see: 30 June, 03:00 BST (02:00 UT)
- Altitude: 15°
- Location: Pisces
- Direction: East-southeast
Morning planet Saturn is not particularly well placed at the start of June, but its situation improves slightly throughout the month. Shining at mag. +0.8, it starts June in Cetus but slips back into Pisces on 3 June. A 32%-lit waning crescent Moon sits nearby on the morning of 10 June.
Uranus
Not visible this month.
Neptune
Not visible this month.
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