🚨🚨🚨Are you looking West-Northwest for the planetary alignment tonight???
Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury are forming a beautiful **mini planetary parade** low in the west-northwest horizon.
Venus is the brightest (magnitude around -3.9) and easiest to spot — often the first "star" to appear in twilight.
Jupiter is nearby and also very bright (magnitude around -1.9).
Mercury joins them lower near the horizon, completing the lineup.
This alignment has been building all month, with Venus and Jupiter having their closest conjunction on June 8–9. On June 12, they remain close enough to create a standout visual effect, especially against a clear twilight sky.
VIEWING TIP:
Look **west-northwest about 30–60 minutes after sunset (timing varies slightly by exact location, but around 8:30–9:30pm EDT on the East Coast).
No binoculars or telescope needed — these are bright enough for naked-eye viewing from most urban or suburban areas with a clear western horizon.
Clear skies help; light pollution may make Mercury harder to see, but Venus and Jupiter should stand out prominently.
This is one of the highlights of June 2026 night skies and explains reports of the evening being "unusually bright." It's a great photo opportunity!