Mercury is beginning an evening apparition this week. Look directly above the sunset for a starlike object shining at -1.3 magnitude. The planet will be over 10° from the Sun today, rising a little further each day until maximum elongation on July 1st.
Category: Planet Events
The Moon and Saturn
Saturn, the Moon and Spica form a trio high in the eastern sky at sunset tonight. The three will be within 7° of each other. The Moon will be just short of full, over 85% illuminated. Saturn will be shining at 0.4 magnitude while Spica is very close to 1.0 magnitude. Look for the planet Mars 38° west of Saturn and a bit brighter.
Jupiter in the Dawn
The coming week will see Jupiter emerge from the Sun’s glare into the dawn sky. Throughout June, Jupiter will climb higher in the dawn. Towards the end of June the planet Venus will emerge from the Sun’s glare to race after Jupiter. The two will meetup for a brilliant conjunction during the first week of July.
Mercury at Superior Conjunction
Today Mercury passes through superior conjunction, passing behind the Sun as seen from the Earth. It will appear in the sunset later in the month, reaching maximum elongation on June 30th.
Venus Exits the Evening Sky
Over the next week Venus will be lost to the Sun’s glare. It is currently about 15° east of the Sun, but getting closer quite quickly now and becoming tough to spot in the sunset. The planet will pass through inferior conjunction on June 5th. The planet will appear in the dawn sky around mid June. When it does appear, it will again be in the company of Jupiter which passed through superior conjunction on May 5th. The two will again dance with each other and the Moon in mid to late June.
Of course, this upcoming inferior conjunction is just a bit special as Venus will pass directly in front creating the Venus Transit.
Even when low in the sunset, Venus is worth picking up in a telescope. As the planet approaches inferior conjunction it shows an ever more crescent appearance to our earthbound vantage point. During the last days of visibility it will be a razor thin crescent, worth the effort to look.
A Thin Moon and Venus
A very thin crescent Moon will join Venus low in the evening sky tonight. The Moon will be a mere 4.3% illuminated. Both will be about 20% above the setting Sun and about 6%deg; apart. As Venus approaches inferior conjunction and transit, it too will be a thin crescent, about 6.5% illuminated. You will need a telescope to see the phase of Venus, but the beautiful pairing can be appreciated with the eye alone.
Viewing the Transit of Venus on Mauna Kea
Everyone is gearing up for the Transit of Venus. Starting at just after noon on June 5th, Venus will cross the face of the Sun. This will be our last chance to see such an event in our lifetimes, as a result, many skywatchers are making an extra effort to see this transit. This includes a number of folks who are traveling to Hawai’i this June, just to be here for the transit.
- The summit access road will be closed to public vehicular traffic at the Visitor Information Station.
- Access to the summit will be provided via free shuttle service between the Visitor Information Station (VIS) and Mauna Kea summit.
- Parking at the Visitor Information Station (VIS) is limited. Additional parking will be provided, however If parking spaces fill up, vehicles will be held below the VIS until parking becomes available.
- Mauna Kea Rangers and Hawaii County Police Officers will be present to assist with parking and public safety.
There will be solar telescopes stationed at the MKVIS, at the summit, and at a number of other locations around the island. With many options to choose from, you do not need to go to the summit to get at least some view of this event.
The diehards, those wanting to see the entire transit, will probably go to Mauna Kea. I really do not know what sort of crowd to expect on the mountain. While it could be substantial, I really expect a more modest showing than some folks are predicting. In any case it will be a fun event.
Myself? I will be on the summit. I will be running the Keck live webcast of the event using one of my telescopes. From a vantage point behind the Keck 1 telescope we should be in position to witness the entire event from start to finish.
Transit of Venus Timing
As you might notice, the times change by a mere two seconds between Kona and Honolulu. These times will be pretty close for the entire island chain. That last number is the Sun’s altitude, the angle above the horizon. Note that this is near 90° for Hawai’i, nearly straight up for the start of the event. Final contact will occur with an altitude of about 5°, just above the horizon near sunset.
| Location Name | External Sun Ingress Alt h m s ° |
Internal Sun Ingress Alt h m s ° |
Greatest Sun Transit Alt h m s ° |
Internal Sun Egress Alt h m s ° |
External Sun Egress Alt h m s ° |
| Anchorage, AK | 14:06:30 51 | 14:24:04 51 | 17:26:53 38 | 20:30:46 16 | 20:48:32 14 |
| Honolulu, HI | 12:10:07 85 | 12:27:46 89 | 15:26:20 49 | 18:26:38 9 | 18:44:38 5 |
| Kona, HI | 12:10:09 86 | 12:27:48 87 | 15:26:16 47 | 18:26:33 7 | 18:44:33 3 |
| Los Angeles, CA | 15:06:26 58 | 15:24:02 55 | 18:25:33 18 | — – | — – |
| Phoenix, AZ | 15:06:03 54 | 15:23:40 50 | 18:25:32 13 | — – | — – |
| Portland, OR | 15:06:05 57 | 15:23:40 54 | 18:25:53 23 | — – | — – |
| San Francisco, CA | 15:06:29 61 | 15:24:04 57 | 18:25:39 22 | — – | — – |
| Seattle, WA | 15:05:58 56 | 15:23:32 53 | 18:25:57 23 | — – | — – |
All times are local time. Keep in mind that this event occurs on June 5th for viewers in the US and Hawai’i. Some sources show June 6th for a date, and so it will be for viewers on the other side of the date line in Australia, Japan and China.
Viewing the Transit of Venus on Hawaii
There is only one more chance in our lifetimes to see a Transit of Venus. If you are curious about this event, where do you go to see it?
For those folks who just want a nice view of the event, and do not necessarily need to watch for the entire seven hours, there are a number of easier options. To accommodate the public, there will be solar telescopes setup and manned by volunteers at a number of locations around the island…
- Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station (MKVIS) A portion of the VIS parking lot will be converted into a viewing station. Telescopes with solar filters will be available. A NASA-sponsored live web cast of the Transit will be displayed inside the VIS and in the presentation room. Parking space at the VIS is limited. If parking fills, vehicles will be held below the VIS until parking becomes available. You may want to consider some of the other sites listed below.
- ʻImiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii, Hilo ʻImiloa will display the NASA webcast of the Transit. Leading up to the day of Transit, ʻImiloa will also be running a special planetarium show titled “When Venus Transits the Sun.”
- W. M. Keck Headquarters, Waimea Livestream from the summit at headquarters in Waimea. Headquarters will be open until 6 p.m. Solar telescopes will be available. Free solar cards for viewing the Transit directly will be provided, while supplies last.
- Canada France Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), Waimea Solar telescopes and a sunspotter will be available for the public. A raffle for a copy of “Hokuloa: The 1874 Transit of Venus Expedition to Hawaii” by Michael Chauvin will also be held.
- Puʻu Koholā Heiau National Historic Site, Kawaihae From Noon till 4:30pm. Special glasses will be available, and a live webcast from the summit of Mauna Kea in the Visitor Center theater. As well, park rangers will give special presentations about the historical significance of this event throughout the day.
- Natural Energy Lab in Kailua-Kona Mahalo to the Natural Energy Lab for sponsoring this event!
- Keaʻau In the lot across from the Fire Station, Mahalo to W. H. Shipman Ltd for sponsoring this event!
Jupiter at Superior Conjunction
Today, Jupiter will pass through superior conjunction at 02:46HST. The planet will remain lost in the Sun’s glare for the remainder of the month, appearing in the dawn during the first days of June. The planet will arrive at opposition on December 2nd.
Throughout June, Jupiter will climb higher in the dawn. Towards the end of June the planet Venus will emerge from the Sun’s glare to race after Jupiter. The two will meetup for a brilliant morning conjunction during the first week of July.