Venus Closes to 1.3° of Beehive Cluster as 22% Moon Moves Into Leo

Q: As the 'First Point of Aries' shifts, when will we officially enter the astronomical Age of Aquarius?

Astronomically, the Age of Aquarius is expected to begin around the year 2600, when the spring equinox point — the “First Point of Aries” — precesses from Pisces into Aquarius. That date is only approximate because there is no single universally agreed boundary between the constellations for defining astrological “ages” in a strict historical sense. Earth’s axis wobbles slowly over about 26,000 years, causing the equinox point to drift westward through the zodiac. In modern astronomy, that point is currently in Pisces, not Aries, despite its traditional name. The skywatching material tied to Saturn in Pisces reflects that same fact: Pisces now hosts the equinox point, and the additional reference material says it is anticipated to move into Aquarius around 2600. Some estimates place the transition a little earlier or later — for example, around 2597 or even closer to 2700 — depending on which constellation boundaries or age system are used. So there is no single “official” date recognized across all traditions. But if the question is about the astronomical shift of the equinox against the background constellations, the best concise answer is that the Age of Aquarius begins in the late 26th century, roughly around 2600.

3 articles · Updated · Astronomy Magazine · Jun 18

Venus sits 1.3° from the Beehive Cluster after sunset on June 18, placing the magnitude -4.0 planet beside the naked-eye open cluster in Cancer.
M44 spans nearly 100 arcminutes and shines at magnitude 3.7, making binoculars or a low-power telescope ideal; Venus will move to within less than 1° of the cluster the next night.
The 22%-lit waxing crescent Moon has shifted east into Leo, appearing to the lower right of the Sickle asterism, whose brightest star is magnitude 1.4 Regulus.
June 19 also brings an early-morning telescope target: 10th-magnitude Dione passes due north of Saturn around 4:30 a.m. PDT, best seen from the U.S. West Coast.