No planets are visible in the evening this month, so let’s follow the Moon instead. Later dates in June are more favorable for catching Mercury, though, as it brightens considerably through the month. The span from Mercury to Jupiter is only 52°. That morning, the span from Mercury through Saturn is 91° - their closest for the month. June 7 is the earliest date you might catch Mercury, as it shines at magnitude 1.5 and rises shortly before 5 A.M. The magnitude of each naked-eye planet on June 24th is as follows: Mercury –0.1, Venus –3.9, Mars 0.5, Jupiter –2.4, and Saturn 0.5. On the morning before or after this date, the Moon is closer to Mars or Venus, respectively.
The Moon on the 24th is roughly midway between Mars, in Pisces, and Venus, in Taurus. local time, allowing for at least half an hour of good viewing before twilight starts to interfere. Mercury is last to rise, shortly before 4:30 A.M. The planets are spread along a 106° swath of the ecliptic. Neptune is in western Pisces, 11.5° west of Jupiter and magnitude 7.8.
Uranus stands 6° east of the Moon that morning, shining at magnitude 5.9 in Aries the Ram. Both can be observed in binoculars or with a small telescope before the onset of twilight. On June 24, the five classical planets and a crescent Moon span the eastern sky in order of distance from the Sun: Mercury, Venus, the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
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