June marks the return of short nights yet remains a month filled with astronomical highlights. Several close planetary approaches, visible at dawn and in the early evening, offer excellent observing opportunities. The month also brings the summer solstice, a key turning point of the year.
Times are given for Montréal in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
Sky events not to be missed
June 9: Close approach of Jupiter and Venus
June 10: Double shadow transit of Europa and Callisto on Jupiter
June 13: The Moon passes close to the Pleiades (M45) at dawn.
June 17: A remarkable grouping of the Moon, Venus, Jupiter and Mercury at sunset, with the added bonus of a daytime occultation of Venus by the Moon!
June 19: Venus near the M44 star cluster—a beautiful sight in the early evening
June 21: Summer solstice (finally!)
June 27: Close approach of Mars and Uranus before sunrise
Celestial events, day by day
June 4: Moon at apogee (99%) at 12:17 a.m. EDT—its farthest point from Earth (406,359 km).
June 8: Last Quarter Moon (50%) at 5:59 a.m. EDT.
June 9: Conjunction – Close approach of Jupiter and Venus. The pair remains visible throughout June in the west after sunset. Jupiter gradually draws closer to Mercury, located to the right of the pair during the second half of the month.
June 9: Conjunction – Close approach of the Moon (40%) and Neptune in the early morning before sunrise in the east. Neptune will be below and to the left of the Moon. Saturn—to the left of Neptune—remains nearby throughout the month.
June 10: Conjunction – Close approach of the Moon (29%) and Saturn in the early morning before sunrise in the east.
June 10: Mercury reaches its greatest altitude in the evening sky. From Montréal, Mercury will reach its highest point during its May–June 2026 evening apparition. It will shine brightly at a magnitude of about +0.4.
From Montréal, this apparition will be relatively favourable, though still challenging to observe, with Mercury reaching a maximum altitude of about 16° above the horizon at sunset on June 11, 2026.
June 12: Conjunction – Close approach of the Moon (11%) and Mars in the early morning before sunrise in the east. Mars will be low on the eastern horizon (10 degrees), below a thin crescent Moon.
June 13: Conjunction – Close approach of the Moon (5%) and M45 (the Pleiades). The cluster will be visible to the left of the Moon in the early morning before sunrise in the east. Mars will be to the right of the Moon.
June 14: Moon at perigee (0%) at 7:13 p.m. EDT—its closest point to Earth (357,195 km).
June 14: New Moon (0%) at 10:54 p.m. EDT.
June 15: Mercury will reach its greatest eastern elongation from the Sun during its May–June 2026 evening apparition. It will shine brightly at a magnitude of about +0.4.
June 16: Conjunction – Close approach of the Moon (5%) and Mercury at sunset in the west. Mercury will be low on the horizon (12 degrees), to the right of a thin crescent Moon. Jupiter, to the left of the Moon, and brilliant Venus farther to the left complete a beautiful quartet!
June 17: Conjunction – Close approach of Uranus and M45 (the Pleiades). Uranus will rise before the Sun from mid-month onward, below M45 (the Pleiades). On June 27, it will draw close to Mars just before sunrise in the east.
June 17: Conjunction – Close approach of Jupiter and Mercury. Mercury will be to the left of Jupiter. The Moon–Venus pair will be visible to the right of Jupiter. All of this will be visible just after sunset.
June 17: Conjunction – Close approach of the Moon (12%) and Venus. The Moon (12%) will be just above brilliant Venus shortly after sunset in the west.
June 17: Occultation of Venus by the Moon. This phenomenon will be visible during the day with a small telescope or binoculars from 3:52 p.m. to 4:59 p.m. EDT in Montréal, and throughout Québec around those times.
June 19: Conjunction – Close approach of Venus and M44. The young open star cluster M44 will be just below Venus. A sight not to be missed in the early evening, low on the western horizon.
June 21: First Quarter Moon (50%) at 5:55 p.m. EDT.
June 21: Summer solstice at 4:24 a.m. EDT. June 21 will be the longest day of 2026 in the Northern Hemisphere. The solstice is one of two moments each year when the Sun reaches its northernmost or southernmost position in the sky. Twice a year, the Sun appears to slow its journey northward or southward before reaching its most extreme declination. It then seems to pause briefly before gradually reversing direction.
June 22: Conjunction – Close approach of Mars and M45 (the Pleiades). Just before sunrise, Mars will be at its closest to the Pleiades (M45) in the eastern sky. Uranus will be below and to the left of M45.
June 27: Conjunction – Close approach of Mars and Uranus. Uranus, which rises from mid-month onward, will draw close to Mars just before sunrise in the east.
June 28: Moon at apogee (97%) at 2:56 a.m. EDT—its farthest point from Earth (406,278 km).
June 29: Full Moon (100%) at 7:56 p.m. EDT.
