Latest sunsets come after the summer solstice

If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, your latest sunsets – and latest evening twilights – are happening around now. The year’s latest sunsets always come after the summer solstice , despite the fact that the summer solstice brings the longest day. The latest sunsets always come in late June and early July for the Northern Hemisphere. But the exact date of the latest sunset depends on your latitude. For 40 degrees north (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; just north of Denver, Colorado; Beijing, China; Turkey; Japan and Spain), the latest sunsets will happen this week (they’re centered around June 27). Farther north – at Seattle – the latest sunsets happen on dates centered on June 25. Farther south – at Mexico City or Hawaii – the latest sunsets are centered on dates in early July. Meanwhile, in the Southern Hemisphere, the earliest sunrises will be happening between around now and early July.

Read more about the latest sunsets here.

Hercules the Strongman and the Hercules Cluster

In June, look for the faint constellation Hercules the Strongman in the evening sky. Its midsection contains the easy-to-see Keystone shape (an asterism ). You can find Hercules between the bright stars Vega in Lyra the Harp and Arcturus in Bootes the Herdsman. And once you find the Keystone, you can easily locate M13, the Hercules cluster .

Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online .

June moon phases

Join EarthSky’s Marcy Curran for a 1-minute video preview of the moon phases – and dates when the moon will visit planets – for the month of June 2024.

June 27: Moon reaches perigee

The moon will reach perigee – its closest point in its elliptical orbit around Earth – at 12 UTC (7 a.m. CDT) on June 27, 2024, when it’s 229,463 miles (369,286 km) away.

June 27 morning: Moon visits Saturn

In the early morning hours of June 27, 2024, the waning gibbous moon will hang close to Saturn. The bright star Fomalhaut will shine nearby. Also, sky watchers in locations including eastern Australia, northeastern New Zealand, Fiji and New Caledonia will see the moon pass in front of – or occult – Saturn near 15 UTC on June 27.

June 28: Last quarter moon

The instant of last quarter moon will fall at 21:53 UTC (4:53 p.m. CDT) on June 28, 2024. It’ll rise after midnight your local time and will set around noon. Look for it high in the sky before dawn.

June 30 mornings: Moon near Mars

On June 30, 2024, the waning crescent moon will lie close to the reddish planet Mars . The lit portion of the moon will point to the reddish planet. Also nearby will be the bright planet Jupiter and the Pleiades star cluster. The moon and Mars will rise about four hours before sunrise.

Stars and constellations overhead now

If you’re out stargazing on any evening, look for these stars and constellations overhead in the sky.

Bootes the Herdsman

Almost overhead on June evenings is bright orange Arcturus . It’s in the constellation Bootes the Herdsman. Bootes has the shape of a kite, and Arcturus is at the point where you’d attach a tail. Indeed, you can’t miss its distinctive shape.

The Big Dipper

Ursa Major the Great Bear is home to the Big Dipper. The Big Dipper is an asterism – a well-known group of stars – not an official constellation. You’ll find the Big Dipper high overhead from mid-northern latitudes in the June evening skies. You can use the two outer stars in the Big Dipper’s bowl – sometimes called the Pointers – to find Polaris , the North Star.

Hercules the Strongman and the Hercules Cluster

Hercules is a faint constellation. But, its midsection contains the easy-to-see Keystone asterism. You can find Hercules between the bright stars Vega in Lyra the Harp and Arcturus in Bootes the Herdsman. And once you find the Keystone, you can easily locate M13, the Hercules cluster .

Have fun exploring the sky!

June morning visible planets

In June 2024, Mars will shine at 1st magnitude, and its disk will grow from five arcminutes in diameter to 5.4 arcminutes by the end of the month. The waning crescent moon was near Mars on the mornings of June 2 and 3, 2024. Likewise, Mars began the month in the dim constellation of Pisces the Fish. And then it’ll move to the faint constellation Aries the Ram. It rose about two hours before sunrise on June 1 and will rise around three hours before sunrise by the end of June.

Saturn will shine around 1st magnitude in June 2024. Its ring system is closing – they’ll be edge-on in 2025 – and it’s getting farther from Earth. The bright star Fomalhaut shines nearby. Saturn spends the month in the faint constellation of Aquarius the Water Bearer. Saturn ends the month of June with a close pass from the moon. They’ll pair up on June 27. Observers in eastern Australia, northeastern New Zealand, Fiji and New Caledonia will see the moon pass in front of – or occult – Saturn near 15 UTC on June 27. Saturn rose about three hours before the sun on June 1 and will rise around midnight by month’s end.

This month, watch for Jupiter in the morning twilight. Jupiter is our sky’s 2nd-brightest planet. It’s now?ascending in the east before the sunrise, a little farther from the sun each day. It’s brighter than all the stars! It won’t reach opposition – that’s when Jupiter will be most opposite the sun and best in our sky – until December . But Jupiter is always bright . It will become easier to see as June progresses. It’ll spend the month in front of the constellation Taurus the Bull, shining at -1.8 magnitude most of the month.

What fun to see its bright light emerge from the morning twilight ! Jupiter rose about 30 minutes before the sun on June 1 and will rise about two hours before sunrise by month’s end. The delicate Pleiades star cluster is nearby, too. Meanwhile, Mars is higher in the sky. The video below previews Jupiter for the coming months.

Mercury slips away in the glare of the morning sun at the beginning of June. It’ll be shining at magnitude -0.8. It will rise about 40 minutes before the sun. Before Mercury disappears from the morning sky, it had a close pairing with Jupiter in the morning twilight on June 4, 2024. The pair lied low on the horizon. Mercury will then emerge in the evening twilight by month’s end.

June evening planet

Mercury emerges in the evening sky at the end of June. Binoculars will help spot this little world. It’ll reach its greatest evening elongation on July 22, 2024, when it’s 27 degrees from the sun. It’ll be shining at magnitude 0.6. This will be the best evening apparition of 2024 for Southern Hemisphere observers. Mercury will be in the constellation Gemini the Twins. Later, it’ll set about an hour after the sun by the end of June.

Where is Venus?

Venus is too close to the sun to be visible this month. But, it’ll emerge in the evening sky by the end of July.

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Looking for a dark sky? Check out EarthSky’s Best Places to Stargaze .

Sky dome maps for visible planets and night sky

The sky dome maps come from master astronomy chart-maker Guy Ottewell . You’ll find charts like these for every month of 2024 in his Astronomical Calendar .

Guy Ottewell explains sky dome maps

Heliocentric solar system visible planets and more

The sun-centered charts come from Guy Ottewell. You’ll find charts like these for every month of 2024 in his Astronomical Calendar.

Guy Ottewell explains heliocentric charts .

Some resources to enjoy

For more videos of great night sky events, visit EarthSky’s YouTube page .

Watch EarthSky’s video about Two Great Solar Eclipses Coming Up

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Visit EarthSky’s Best Places to Stargaze to find a dark-sky location near you.

Post your own night sky photos at EarthSky Community Photos .

Translate Universal Time (UTC) to your time.

See the indispensable Observer’s Handbook, from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

Visit Stellarium-Web.org for precise views from your location.

Almanac: Bright visible planets (rise and set times for your location).

Visit TheSkyLive for precise views from your location.

Bottom line: Visible planets and night sky guide for June 2024. The year’s latest sunsets come after the longest day (the solstice). Why?