Crescent moon will align with 3 planets in the nights before the summer solstice
From a trio of planets lining up with a crescent moon to a solstice bringing the beginning of astronomical summer, here are the top astronomy events to mark down on your June 2026 calendar.
The nights leading up to the summer solstice will offer one of June's best astronomical sights as the crescent moon joins Venus, Jupiter and Mercury in a low, glittering lineup in the western sky.
The three-night event begins Tuesday after sunset, when the moon appears near the planetary trio huddled low on the horizon. Each subsequent evening, the moon will shift higher in the sky as it sweeps through the lineup, with it glowing above the planets on Thursday evening.
The best views will come about an hour after sunset, though a clear view of the western horizon will be important to spot all four objects.
Mercury will be the hardest to find because it is dimmer than Venus and Jupiter and sits lowest in the sky. Even so, it should still be visible without binoculars or a telescope under clear conditions.
Because the event stretches across three evenings, there will be some flexibility to pick the night with the best weather to see the alignment.
This photo taken on Aug. 21, 2025, shows Venus and Jupiter next to a crescent moon in the sky over Tangyuan County of Jiamusi City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Photo by Zhu Zongqiang/Xinhua via Getty Images)
Venus, Jupiter and Mercury will remain in the evening sky into late June, though Jupiter and Mercury will gradually fade deeper into the twilight glow with each passing night.
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