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4d ago

Daytime Moon Occults Venus Across Much of the U.S. on June 17

The rare event gives observers a brief chance to see Venus vanish then reappear under strict safety guidance from skywatching groups.

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The afternoon of June 17, Venus disappears behind the Moon in a daytime occultation. Credit: Petr Hykš (Flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0)
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Overview

  • A thin waxing crescent Moon will pass directly in front of Venus on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, creating a daylight occultation visible across about 48 U.S. states, parts of Canada, and northeastern South America.
  • The event is centered near 16:40 EDT (20:40 UTC) with exact disappearance and reappearance times varying by location and city-by-city schedules and maps published by IOTA and In‑The‑Sky.org.
  • At the time the Moon will be roughly 11–13 percent illuminated and Venus will shine near magnitude −4 with a roughly 15-arcsecond disk that the Moon covers in about 29 seconds at disappearance.
  • Experts strongly warn against pointing binoculars or telescopes near the Sun, advise observing from a shaded spot such as a building shadow, and recommend livestreams like the Virtual Telescope Project for those who cannot or should not attempt daytime viewing.
  • This is the first of three lunar occultations of Venus in 2026, follows a recent Venus–Jupiter conjunction and Mercury elongation, and marks the first daylight Venus occultation visible in the U.S. in about 11 years.