The crescent moon tonight will pass through the Beehive open star cluster on June 17, appearing with Jupiter, Venus and Mercury in the western sky after sunset. Observers should look west after sunset to catch the slender moon near the cluster before Mercury slips away.
Mercury will sit low on the western horizon in the glow of the setting sun, with Jupiter glistening close to its upper left. Venus and the moon will line up beyond both planets, giving viewers a single view that brings four familiar objects into one part of the sky.
Beehive Cluster June 17
A pair of 10x50 binoculars will reveal dozens of young stars around the three-day-old moon, while a 4-inch telescope will show Jupiter’s cloud bands and its four large Galilean moons. Earthshine may softly light the moon’s night side on June 17, adding another visible detail for people watching from the ground.
Mercury will be the first of the group to slip from view, less than two hours after sunset. For stargazers in the U.S., the moon will remain visible for another hour after Mercury disappears, narrowing the window but leaving enough time to see the alignment without special equipment.
Venus And Regulus
The following night, the waxing moon will leave Venus and the Beehive Cluster behind and sweep toward Regulus, the blue-white light at the heart of Leo. Venus will rise away from Jupiter in the weeks that follow, before passing just 1 degree from Regulus on July 9.
For anyone hoping to see the June 17 grouping, the practical step is simple: face west after sunset and go early enough to catch Mercury before it drops out of view. The brief overlap is the point of the event, and the timing is what makes the scene change from one night to the next.
