Planets visible to the naked eye
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Here's a look at the planets that will be observable with the naked eye in the coming days. Follow these guidelines to find out where and when to look for them.
From May 29 to June 12, 2023
Mercury is visible with difficulty in the morning sky where it undergoes a poor apparition until mid-June. To find the tiny planet, scan the east-northeast horizon with binoculars, 30 minutes before sunrise, looking for a dot of light in the glow of dawn. Mercury becomes brighter and easier to spot around the second week of June.
Venus is the dazzling Evening Star that shines about 30 degrees high in the west shortly after sunset and sets in the northwest before midnight. On the evening of June 21, the crescent Moon will shine 3 degrees to the upper right of Venus, while Mars completes the triangle, 4 ½ degrees to the upper left of Venus.
Mars is receding from Earth but remains a conspicuously bright, orangish object. The Red Planet appears at dusk, shining some 30 degrees high in the west, to the upper left of much brighter Venus; Mars vanishes below the west-northwest horizon around midnight. On the evening of June 21, the crescent Moon will shine 3 degrees to the upper right of Venus, while Mars completes the triangle, 4 ½ degrees to the upper left of Venus. The following evening, June 22, the lunar crescent will hang to the upper left of the Red Planet.
Jupiter is becoming a beacon in the morning sky. One hour before sunrise, the Giant Planet shines intensely above the eastern horizon. On the morning of June 14, the thin waning crescent Moon hangs just 1 ½ degrees to the left of Jupiter.
Saturn gradually emerges in the morning sky. The Ringed Planet emerges in the east-southeast before 2:00 a.m., climbing to about 25 degrees above the southeast horizon by civil dawn. On the mornings of June 9 and 10, the waning Moon (last quarter on the 10th) will shine near Saturn.
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