In fact, gazing from east to south – before the sunrise washes them from the sky – you can see the planets Venus (the second planet from the sun), Mars (fourth), Jupiter (fifth) and Saturn (sixth) – in their proper planetary order. Technically, Mercury (closest to the sun) will be there in early June, but it may be hard to see the speedy planet until mid-June, as it hugs the horizon at dawn.

The ringed Saturn leads the planetary lineup as it rises in the east after 1 a.m. now and will be high in the southeastern sky at about 5 a.m. This +0.6 magnitude planet (bright), according to the U.S. Naval Observatory, seems to be squeezed between the constellations Capricornus and Aquarius.

The large Jupiter and Mars rise concurrently just before 3 a.m. now, loitering in the vicinity of the constellation Pisces. Both will be higher in the east-southeast around 4:30 a.m. Of the two, Jupiter is -2.3 magnitude, very bright, while the reddish Mars is more dim at +0.7 magnitude, but it is becoming brighter as the year moves along. On subsequent mornings, you’ll begin to see a noticeable separation between those planets.

Venus, at -3.9 magnitude, remains incredibly bright, according to the observatory, as it rises now at around 4 a.m. in the eastern heavens. You will see the magnificent, vivid planet climbing higher above the horizon later in that hour.

By mid-June, you may be able to find the fleet Mercury at about 4:45 a.m. on June 18, for example, joining its planetary pals, as it follows Venus. It’s +0.6 magnitude on June 15 and a slightly brighter +0.2 magnitude on June 20, according to the observatory.

The summer solstice – the official first day of astronomical summer – arrives June 21 at 5:14 a.m., according to the observatory, but please note that on the days surrounding the solstice, we get the most sunlight. From June 18 through June 23, Washington will enjoy 14 hours and 54 minutes of captivating sun. Just don’t forget the sunscreen.

Down-to-Earth Events

* June 7 – “Black Holes at Work,” an online discussion with astronomer Andrew Fabian, professor at the University of Cambridge and winner of the 2020 Kavli Prize in physics, will speak to journalist Frank Sesno of George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs. The talk is hosted by Carnegie Science, 4 p.m. To register in advance, visit carnegiescience.edu and then click “events.”

* June 12 – “Supermassive Black Holes at the Center of M87 and Milky Way Galaxies,” an online lecture by Razieh Emami, a fellow at the Institute for Theory and Computation at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. It is hosted by the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club. 7:30 p.m. For viewing details visit novac.com.

* June 17 – “Supermassive Black Holes at the Centers of Galaxies,” a lecture by astrophysicist Shobita Satyapal, a professor at George Mason University. Her lecture is hosted by PSW Science, formerly the Philosophical Society of Washington, and it will be presented at 8 p.m. at the John Wesley Powell Auditorium, Cosmos Club, 2170 Florida Ave. NW. Also, the lecture will be held online concurrently; go the group’s website as the event date approaches: pswscience.org.

* June 29 – “Earth, Exoplanets and Everything in Between,” a lecture by astrophysicist Knicole Colón of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. She is the deputy project scientist for exoplanet science at the James Webb Space Telescope. Her lecture will be presented live and online concurrently at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. 8 p.m. For details and to register, visit airandspace.si.edu/events. (Note to readers: The National Air and Space Museum is undergoing renovations this summer.)

Blaine Friedlander can be reached at SkyWatchPost@gmail.com.