Venus and the Beehive! Together June 12 and 13

Venus and the Beehive

On the evenings of June 12 and 13, 2023, you can spot Venus – the brightest planet – as it passes by a famous star cluster known as the Beehive. Nearby Venus will appear as a big, bright diamond passing by dozens of tiny distant diamonds in this star cluster. On both evenings, Venus is about one degree – or two full moons side-by-side – from the Beehive.

First, look for brilliant Venus in the west after sunset. At magnitude -4.2, Venus easily dominates the early evening sky. You might also notice two bright stars lower in the sky than Venus. They’re the bright stars in Gemini the Twins, Pollux and Castor.

Above Venus and the twin stars is a bright, reddish light … and that’s Mars.

Then, if you’re in a dark-sky site or have binoculars, you can spot a smudge of light on the sky’s dome in the vicinity of Venus. That smattering of stars is the Beehive star cluster, in the constellation Cancer the Crab.

In late May and early June – around June 1 and 2, 2023 – Mars was a delightfully bright light among the dim Beehive cluster. And now it’s brilliant Venus’s turn. Venus will be a beacon among the dim stars in the cluster.

Unless your sky is very dark, you’ll need binoculars to pick out the cluster’s stars. The Beehive will be easier to spot if you place Venus out of your field of view.

Telescopes will reveal more of the 1,000 members of the Beehive cluster.

Venus and the Beehive: Green line of ecliptic, with Venus and the Beehive in a little circle, Mars above and Gemini below. — Brilliant Venus – our sky’s brightest planet – will take on the roll of queen bee when it passes by the Beehive star cluster on June 12 and 13, 2023. Look west shortly after darkness falls for Venus and the Beehive as they make an interesting and beautiful sight. Chart by John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.

A closer look at the Beehive star cluster

It’s with optical aid that the true nature of this star cluster comes alive.

The stars in this cluster lie about 577 light-years distant. That’s in contrast to Venus, which is just light-minutes away.

And – when you gaze at the Beehive – think about how many planets might reside among these 1,000 stars. We already know of at least two (Pr0201b and Pr0211b).

Do you have a photo to share? Submit it at EarthSky Community Photos. We surely enjoy seeing them.

Circle with 2 white dots inside labeled with dates next to cluster. Arrow shows Venus' motion. — Binoculars will help show you the Beehive around June 12 and 13, 2023, with Venus off to one side. Chart by John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky.

Community photos of Mars buzzing the Beehive

Earlier this month, Mars buzzed right in front of the Beehive star cluster. Here are some of the photos submitted to our EarthSky Community Photos.

Starry sky with bunch of dozens of stars relatively close together with glowing reddish Mars nearby. — View at EarthSky Community Photos. | David Hoskin of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, captured this image on May 31, 2023, and wrote: “This image shows Mars approaching the Beehive Cluster, which is an open star cluster in the constellation Cancer.” Thank you, David.

Black sky, constellation Cancer, Venus, Gemini, and a circle around Beehive and Mars. — View at EarthSky Community Photos. | EarthSky’s own Raúl Cortés of Monterrey, Mexico, made this composite image from 2 photos. Raúl wrote: “On June 1, 2023, Mars was in Cancer close to the Beehive and Venus. A gorgeous sight!” Thank you, Raúl.

More photos of Mars buzzing the Beehive

Scattered dim stars on black sky with reddish dot of Mars. — View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Meiying Lee of Hsinchu, Taiwan, captured this image on June 2, 2023. Meiying wrote: “On June 2, Mars entered the Praesepe, also known as the Beehive Cluster, with its Messier designation M44. The Praesepe is an open star cluster composed of numerous young stars.” Thank you, Meiying!

Small white dots for Beehive and Mars, Venus, twin stars, long dotted red lines for ISS. — View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mohammad Adeel in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, captured this image on June 2, 2023. Mohammad wrote: “It had been a while since ISS showed up in the sky, and tonight I had the chance to capture it with some interesting conjunctions. Planet Venus being at greatest western elongation and shining brightly was lining up with the twins (Pollux and Castor) in a straight line, while planet Mars was almost over the Beehive Cluster. And having ISS in the frame was too much of a busy sky not to be captured.” Thank you, Mohammad!

Bottom line: Spot Venus and the Beehive star cluster together on June 12 and 13, 2023. You’ll want binoculars to get a good view of the starry cluster making a sparkling accent to dazzling Venus.

Want to see more night sky events? Visit EarthSky’s night sky guide

Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view from your location, try Stellarium Online.

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