Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin A crescent Moon with Mercury and the Pleiades. Each Monday, I pick out North America’s celestial highlights for the week ahead (which also apply to all mid-northern latitudes in the northern hemisphere), but be sure to check my main feed for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy, eclipses and more. The Night Sky This Week: June 3-9, 2024 If you’re a stargazer in the northern hemisphere, you won’t be looking forward to the summer solstice later this month, when the hours of darkness will be at their fewest of the year.
That solstice will coincide with May’s full moon, the “Strawberry Moon,” which will bleach the night sky until mid-month. That makes this week the best of the month by far for stagazing. Not only is there still enough darkness if you stay up late, but Thursday’s new moon means the darkness is as profound as possible.
Add pre-sunrise and post-sunset views of a delicate crescent moon, and it’s a great week to get outside and look up. However, June 3’s much-hyped “planet parade” will only herald two visible planets—it’s actually a better moon-watching opportunity. Here’s everything you need to know about the night sky this week: Monday, June 3: Crescent Moon And Mars Monday, June 3: Crescent Moon And Mars Look east before sunrise to see a 12% lit waning crescent moon just to the left of Mars, with Saturn high in the southeast.
Tuesday, June 4: Waning Crescent Moon Google Chro.
