06/10/2020 – Ephemeris – Let’s look at the naked-eye planets for this week

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, June 10th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 31 minutes, setting at 9:28, and it will rise tomorrow at 5:56. The Moon, 3 days before last quarter, will rise at 1:38 tomorrow morning.

Let’s look at the naked-eye planets for this week. Mercury is close to the end of its visibility in the evening sky seen low in the northwest after sunset, it will set tonight at 11:03 pm. Jupiter now rises before midnight at 11:41 pm in the east-southeast. It’s still called a morning planet because it’s in the sky at sunrise. Saturn will rise 17 minutes later at 11:58 right behind Jupiter. Mars, is stretching its lead left of Saturn and will rise at 2:10 am in the east. Its now down to 87.6 million miles (141.0 million km) away, as the Earth slowly overtakes it at the rate of about 4.3 million miles (7.0 million km) a week. Jupiter and Saturn will be hanging out Sagittarius and Capricornus this year while Mars is moving rapidly eastward now two constellations over.

The event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.

Addendum

Mercury, very difficult to spot, in the evening tonight at 10 pm, June 10, 2020. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.

The Morning planets tomorrow at 5 a.m., about an hour before sunrise, June 11, 2020. lick on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.

The waning gibbous Moon tomorrow at 5 am June 11, 2020 as it might appear in binoculars or small telescope. Created using Stellarium.

The planets as seen in a telescope with the same magnification. Jupiter and Saturn tomorrow morning of June 4, 2020. Apparent diameters: Jupiter, 45.80″; Saturn, 18.03″, rings, 41.99″ and Mars, 9.95″. Mars also shows an enlargement showing surface detail. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).

Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on June 10, 2020. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 11th. The closeness of Jupiter and Saturn in the morning sky unfortunately overlays planets and labels. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.