June Planet Watching: You Can See These 3 Planets Clearly With No Telescope This Month

Stargazing is a classic summer activity, and if you were hoping to do some star viewing there will be plenty to see this month. During the month of June there are several planets that will be visible in the sky with just the naked eye.

Saturn and Jupiter will be in prime viewing positions this summer. You may even be able to catch them in the sky at the same time if you plan perfectly. The third planet that will be visible without a telescope will be Venus. Mars and Mercury are currently in the part of their orbit far too close to the sun to make them visible with the naked eye.

Read: 8 Photos That Show What SpaceX And Elon Musk Think Traveling To Mars Will Look Like

You won’t have to stay up too late to catch a glimpse of the Saturn and Jupiter sharing the sky. Saturn is visible once the sun sets, so a few hours after sunset once it’s full dark out would be a good time to see the ringed planet. You won’t be able to see the rings without a telescope but you can pick out Saturn because of its steady golden glow. Saturn will reach opposition on June 15, that’s when Earth is directly between Saturn and the sun and they’re all in a perfect line. This is what makes Saturn so easy to see this month.

If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere it will appear to rise in the southeast. But you’re best bet is to use this tool to see when it’ll be highest in your area. When you take a look at Saturn, remember that the Cassini flyer is currently making dives between the rings of the giant planet.

Jupiter rises before the sun sets but it won’t be visible until it’s dark. Jupiter will set earlier than Saturn too. At the start of the month Jupiter will set around 3 a.m. but by the end of the month it will be setting around 1 a.m. So you’ll want to search the sky between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. or so ideally to see both planets at once. Jupiter will appear in the southern sky from the Northern Hemisphere almost right after the sun sets and it will head west until it sets there in the very early morning.

Read: How To Spot The International Space Station, When Will It Fly Over?

Venus is extremely bright but you’ll have to be up very early to spot it, it’ll rise about two hours before the sun does for viewers in the United States.

For exact times for all planets check the Farmer’s Almanac.

In addition to the vivid planets this month the full “Strawberry Moon” will be visible on June 9 and the new moon will occur on June 23, meaning that night the sky will be darker than usual and good for star or planet gazing.