What’s Up in Denver? June 22nd through 28th, 2026

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Look Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.

June 22:

E-Board Meeting. Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Bill Bradford
E-Board Meeting. Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Bill Bradford

June 23:

The Moon near Spica
The Moon near Spica

June 24:

The Summer Triangle – Created with Stellarium
The Summer Triangle – Created with Stellarium
  • 👀 Look for the Summer Triangle asterism: with the June solstice heralding the coming of summer last week, we begin to see the three bright stars of Vega, Altair, and Deneb connecting the constellations of Lyra, Aquila, and Cygnus in the eastern sky around 10:00PM.

June 25:

SSIG

June 26:

Sommers-Bausch Observatory
Sommers-Bausch Observatory

June 27:

The Moon near Antares
The Moon near Antares
  • 👀 Catch the waxing gibbous Strawberry Moon near Antares, the bright red giant alpha star of Scorpius low in the southern skies around 10:00PM
  • 👀 Catch the June Bootid meteor shower, producing its peak rate of about 5 meteors per hour from its radiant in the constellation Boötes near Arcturus from 11:00PM on.

June 28:

Mars next to the Pleiades
Mars next to the Pleiades
  • 👀 Look for Mars next to the Pleiades, the red planet hovers next to the great open cluster in the constellation Taurus in the eastern sky around 4:00AM
  • 🌔 The waxing gibbous Strawberry Moon reaches apogee, it’s farthest distance from Earth at 406,265km at 1:00 AM

This Week’s Solar System Summary:

  • The Sun rises about 5:41 AM throughout the week, while sunset shifts from 8:24 PM to 8:25 PM. Although the summer solstice has passed, Denver continues to enjoy nearly 15 hours of daylight each day.
  • The Moon rises in the overnight hours at the start of the week and shifts into the morning and afternoon hours by the weekend, while moonset moves from the evening into the late evening and overnight hours.
  • Venus remains the standout evening planet, blazing brightly in the western sky after sunset and setting between 11:40 PM and 11:50 PM.
  • Mercury remains favorably placed in the evening sky following its greatest eastern elongation. Look for it low in the west after sunset, where it remains visible during evening twilight.
  • Jupiter is now becoming lost in the glow of evening twilight and offers only a brief observing window after sunset before setting between 11:20 PM and 11:00 PM.
  • Saturn continues to improve as a morning target, rising before midnight by week’s end and climbing higher into the predawn sky. Mars remains a difficult object, lingering low in the bright eastern twilight before sunrise.
  • Uranus begins emerging from the Sun’s glare in the morning sky but remains a challenging telescopic target low before dawn.
  • Neptune rises earlier each morning and is best observed before dawn in the southeastern sky, though a telescope is required to see it.

This Week’s Meteoric Activity:

You can keep track of the activity of meteor showers as well as those beyond the limits of visual observing by visiting the NASA Meteor Shower Portal.

  • June Bootids (JBO): Peak on June 27th in Boötes near Arcturus: Typically 1–5 per hour, but occasionally much higher during rare outbursts.
  • Anthelion (ANT): 1:00 AM in eastern Leo near Denebola: About 2 per hour.
  • ρ-Cygnids (RCY): Before dawn in Cygnus near Sadr: Less than 1 per hour.
  • June ε-Ophiuchids (JEO): Before dawn in Ophiuchus: Less than 1 per hour.
  • Daytime Arietids (ARI): Before dawn low in Aries: Less than 1 per hour.
  • β-Taurids (BTA): Before dawn low in Taurus: Less than 1 per hour.

Check Out These Helpful Guides from DAS:

Sky Map

Clear skies and happy stargazing!