Sunrise Sunset

Fri., June 8 5:07 8:14

Sat., June 9 5:07 8:14

Sun., June 10 5:06 8:15

Mon., June 11 5:06 8:15

Tues., June 12 5:06 8:16

Wed., June 13 5:06 8:16

Thurs., June 14 5:06 8:17

Fri., June 15 5:06 8:17

Where is Venus now? This past Tuesday, the second closest planet to the sun passed between the Earth and the sun, appearing as a dot before our star. Many astronomers observed the unusual transit of Venus using special solar telescopes.

If you look tomorrow morning, most likely you’ll see only the bright planet Jupiter just above horizon, at about a half hour before sunrise. Jupiter is in the zodiacal constellation Taurus.

Venus is well below Jupiter, still hidden in the brilliant glare of the sun. But you could see it in a week, when it shows up low in the southeast. By the end of June, Venus and Jupiter appear easily together as a close pair.

There is an even more impressive sight for those rising early Saturday, June 16. A thin crescent moon appears above Jupiter. On Sunday, June 17, the two are even closer together. And if the sky in the east is particularly clear, Venus will be brilliant, underneath in the light of dawn.

Our two evening planets are Mars and Saturn. Mars is high in the western sky after sunset. The red planet is in the zodiacal constellation Leo and moving into Virgo. To the east of Mars, also in Virgo, is Saturn.

Mars shines distinctly red compared to the many other stars in that part of the sky. Saturn has a yellowish tint, and appears near the bright bluish star Spica.