Home > Ephemeris Program, Naked-eye planets, Observing, Planets > 06/07/2023 – Ephemeris – Let’s find where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week

06/07/2023 – Ephemeris – Let’s find where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week

June 7, 2023

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, June 7th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 27 minutes, setting at 9:25, and it will rise tomorrow at 5:57. The Moon, 3 days before last quarter, will rise at 1:18 tomorrow morning.

Let’s find where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week. Venus is our blazing Evening Star seen in the west all evening. It will set after midnight. The red planet Mars is seen left of and a bit higher than Venus by eight and a half degrees, or a bit less than the width of one’s fist held at arm’s length. Venus is closing the gap between them, but will never quite reach Mars while they are in the evening sky. The closest they will get is three and a half degrees or 7 moon diameters apart, before Venus pulls back toward the Sun faster than Mars will. Both Mars and Venus are in Cancer. In the morning, Saturn will be visible low in the southeast at 5 am, rising at 1:53 am. Jupiter is low in the east at that hour, rising at 3:57 am.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT –4 hours). They may be different for your location.

Addendum

Venus and Mars in the evening
Venus and Mars at 10:15 in the evening. Venus is -4th magnitude, while Mars is 2nd magnitude.
The moon tomorrow morning June 8, 2023 through binoculars or small telescope with labels of selected features. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw and GIMP.
Looking from east to south, the morning planets Jupiter and Saturn with the waning gibbous Moon at 5 am June 8, 2023. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic Venus, Saturn and Jupiter (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification at 10:30 pm for Venus and 5 am for Jupiter and Saturn. Apparent diameters: Venus 24.56″ and is 47.7% illuminated; Saturn 17.38″, its rings 40.48″; Jupiter 34.84″. Mars, too small to be represented here, is 4.56″ in diameter. Venus, Saturn and Jupiter are approaching us, so their apparent diameters are growing. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on June 6, 2023. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 8th. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp app and GIMP.
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