Moon Passes 3° North of Mercury, Forms Triangle With Jupiter on June 16

Q: You saw the planets align, but can you spot the Moon hiding Venus in broad daylight today?

Yes — if you are in the right part of the Americas and have a clear, safe setup, you can try to see the Moon occult Venus in broad daylight today. The event is a daytime lunar occultation, meaning the thin waxing crescent Moon passes directly in front of Venus and briefly hides it. It follows the June 15 sky show, when the crescent Moon, Mercury and Jupiter formed a striking triangle after sunset. Today’s event is rarer and more challenging because it happens in daylight. It is visible from much of the contiguous United States, southern Canada, northern Mexico, the Caribbean, and parts of northern South America. Venus, near magnitude -4, is bright enough to be seen in daytime with optical aid, but the Moon is only about 11% illuminated, so both can be hard to pick out against a bright sky. In many U.S. locations, Venus disappears behind the Moon during the afternoon and reappears roughly an hour later. Exact times depend on location, so local predictions from IOTA or planetarium software are essential. Safety is critical. Do not sweep the sky with binoculars or a telescope anywhere near the Sun. Observe only from a place where the Sun is completely blocked by a building or other solid structure. Once the Sun is safely hidden, binoculars can help locate the crescent Moon and Venus. For skywatchers who enjoyed Monday’s Mercury-Moon-Jupiter alignment, today offers an even more unusual follow-up: one of the brightest planets being covered by the Moon in full daylight.

3 articles · Updated · Astronomy Magazine · Jun 16

The Moon sits 3° north of Mercury on June 16, creating a compact triangle with Mercury and Jupiter in the western sky after sunset.
30 minutes after sunset, the trio stands more than 10° above the horizon; an hour later, it remains about 8° high, keeping the grouping easy to spot.
A 6%-lit waxing crescent Moon appears above Mercury, with Pollux just to its upper right and Castor farther right as twilight fades.
Venus still shines to Jupiter’s upper left, and the Moon is set to catch up and pass in front of Venus in a daytime occultation on June 17.