06/02/2021 – Ephemeris – Let’s look for the naked-eye planets for this week

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, June 2nd. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 22 minutes, setting at 9:22, and it will rise tomorrow at 5:59. The Moon, at last quarter today, will rise at 3:10 tomorrow morning.

Let’s look for the naked-eye planets for this week. Venus can be spotted low in the west-northwest twilight by 10 pm. Venus will set at 10:49 pm. Mars can be found in the west at 10:30 tonight, and about to leave the constellation of Gemini, the twins. Tonight it’s below and left of Gemini’s brightest star, Pollux. Mars will set at 12:34 am. Jupiter and Saturn, are in the morning sky. Saturn will rise at 1:08 am. It’s seen with the stars of Capricornus. It has begun its retrograde or westward motion caused by the fact that we are viewing it from another moving planet. Brighter Jupiter, is now within the boundaries of Aquarius, and will rise at 1:55 am. By 5 am these two planets will be in the south-southeast in the morning twilight.

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

Addendum

Venus on a flat lake horizon at 10 pm (38 minutes after sunset), June 2, 2021. Created using Stellarium.

Mars finder chart for 11 pm, June 2, 2021. Created using Stellarium.

Saturn Jupiter and the crescent Moon at 5 am, about an hour before sunrise. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.

The waning crescent Moon as it should appear in binoculars, tomorrow morning at 5 am, June 3, 2021.

Saturn and Jupiter as seen in a small telescope at the same magnification at 5 am June 3, 2021. Apparent diameters: Saturn, 17.64″, rings, 41.09″; Jupiter, 41.51″. Mars is too far away to make out detail on its surface, except maybe a polar cap. Its apparent diameter is 4.13″. Venus’ apparent diameter is 10.35″ and will be added when it gets far enough from the Sun to be easily seen. The normal cutoff for whether to show a planet here is an apparent diameter of 10″ or greater. 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 2, 2021. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 3rd. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.