The encounter between Mars and the Beehive, followed by Venus and the Beehive that we witnessed in early June 2023 suggests that both planets are in the same part of the sky after sunset.
Shining at mag. –4.3, Venus reached greatest eastern elongation on 4 June, but despite its prominence in the evening sky over the past weeks, it is dropping in altitude after sunset.
At that brightness it’s still easy to see, though, and a good pointer to the much dimmer planet Mars, which shines at mag. +1.7 towards the end of June.
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On the evening of 21 June, Venus and Mars will be joined by a slender 12%-lit waxing crescent Moon, a lovely evening scene to mark the day of the June solstice.
On 22 June, the Moon will have increased in phase to 19% and sits further to the east of both planets.
Venus and Mars will appear slightly closer on this date, appearing separated by 4.5° on 21 June and 4.3° on 22 June.
Both planets continue to approach one another to reach a minimum separation of 3.6° between 29 June and 2 July.
This makes them an ideal binocular target, but a flat west-northwest horizon is essential.
Look out for Regulus (Alpha (α) Leonis) to the left of Mars, appearing fractionally brighter than the planet at mag. +1.3.
This guide originally appeared in the June 2023 issue of BBC Sky at Night Magazine.
