June 2026 for Stars and Planets. June has planet alignments, peak Milky Way viewing, a celestial parade, the summer solstice and a full Strawberry Moon. These five major sky events are packed neatly by Mother Nature into three weeks. View these events with your naked eye. This works for all beginners and science lovers of stars and planets. Check out each event details below. (My comments are from the U.S.)
June 2026 for Stars and Planets, Event 1 on June 9th
You will see two of the brightest planets in the sky on this date. They will appear close together right after sunset (30 to 60 minutes). The planetary conjunction (1.) is the first of the sky entertainment and will be approximately 1 degree from each other.
Still not sure what one degree looks like? Hold your arm straight out. Raise your pinky finger. Your nail covers that one degree of sky. On June 9, both Venus and Jupiter will be close enough to each other that they will hide behind your little finger. (2.) Degrees measure how far apart two objects appear from your viewpoint. It’s the angle between two objects as seen from your eye. This is angular measurement that is consistent from Earth’s viewpoint.
The magic of distance and perspective (viewpoint-how you see something) makes them look close enough to touch. This is what your eyes see, not the actual space distance from one planet to another. In space, they are two planets millions of miles apart.
Event 2 on June 15th
On June 15th, the Super New Moon occurs. Why is this important? The Moon’s orbit is in the shape of an oval and science calls it an elipse. This path makes the moon’s travel move closer and farther away from the earth. The closest point to Earth is referred to as a perigee. When the Moon’s orbit gets closest to the Earth and it is also a Full or New Moon, we see a 14% bigger and 30% brighter Moon.
This Super New Moon is different because the Moon is between the Earth and the Sun. But, we actually can’t see the moon because the light falls on the Moon’s side that faces toward the Sun. The Moon becomes invisible to our view, but it allows us to see the Milky Way for a short time. (3.) See image at the right, left to right, Milky Way, Moon and the Earth at night.
Event 3 on June 18th
The June for Stars and Planets is amazing on this date. You need to have your dark sky position already picked out. Make sure you can look westerly just after nightfall. You should be able to view and identify Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, a Crescent Moon and the star Regulus. It is the brightest star in Leo. The path it travels is the Sun’s ecliptic pathway. So, it joins in the celestial parade of planets. (4.)
In Sydney, São Paulo and Buenos Aires in the Earth’s Southern Hemisphere, viewers have a longer viewing window. They also see the arc of alignment flipped right to left when compared to the Northern Hemisphere viewers.
Event 4 on June 21
In the U.S., we have what we call the Summer Solstice. It happens because the Earth actuallly tilts 23.5 degrees on its axis directly toward the Sun. That occurs at 3:25 a.m. Central Daylight time for central U.S.
Alaska begins its midnight sun time, (5.) while the aurora australis season begins in Tasmania and southern New Zeland (6.) and they bundle up for winter.
Event 5 on June 29th
This is the time for the Full Strawberry Moon in Sagittarius. And Mother Nature gives us a bonus view the night before, on June 28th and the peak illumination on June 29th. You want to look to the southeastern horizon at sunset on June 29th.
Some general information makes the name a little more interesting. The wild strawberry harvest season occurs in the Northern Hemisphere at this time. And the Moon’s color can be white, orange, golden or even reddish because of atmospheric conditions and how low it sits in the sky (7.) The Moon looks rather large near the horizon which is known as the moon illusion.
This Full Strawberry Moon is best seen from Europe, Africa , the Middle east and western to central Asia. (8.) The Americas see it rise at sunset.
Interestingly, Sagittarius looks more like a teapot than an archer. Earlier, The Milky Way appeared to pour like steam from the spout, but the Strawberry Moon sits right inside that Teapot. Same constellation, but two weeks time makes for different perspectives.
Reasons to Look Up
The Universe is putting on a wonderful, free show. Starting on June 9th until June 29th the month delivers five events, in a three-week time frame for us to enjoy. Step outside and look up and marvel at the show. Ask others to join in the party that Mother Nature has planned for us in June 2026 for Stars and Planets.
Resources
- https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/skywatching/
- https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/sky-measurements-degrees-arc-minutes-arc-seconds/
- https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/june-night-sky-events-2026
- https://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/best-regulus-the-heart-of-the-lion/
- https://www.foxweather.com/earth-space/alaska-final-sunrise-midnight-sun-sunset/
- https://www.russh.com/how-to-see-aurora-australis-australia-june-2026/
- https://skyandtelescope.org/online-gallery/strawberry-moon-3/ (You may want to check at skyandtelescope.org and search “Strawberry Moon 2026” for a full article)
- https://starwalk.space/en/news/night-sky-tonight-june
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