That bright "star" visible in the west after sunset is the planet Venus.
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What is the bright “star” in the sky after sunset? Skywatchers are currently being treated to a spectacular celestial display after the sun sinks each night with Venus emerging as a dazzling “Evening Star.”
Visible low in the western sky after sunset, the planet outshines every star and is second only to the moon in brightness. Currently glowing at magnitude -3.9, Venus is unmistakable even to casual observers – and it’s set to dominate through October.
Venus orbits closer to the sun than Earth, so never strays far from the sun in our sky, appearing either after sunset in the west or before sunrise in the east.
Right now, Venus is east of the sun, so it shines in the evening sky. Over the coming months, it is moving along its faster inner orbit and gradually catching up with Earth, heading toward inferior conjunction — the moment when it will pass between Earth and the sun.
As Venus approaches us, it appears higher after sunset, grows larger and gets dramatically brighter. At the same time, it shows phases like the moon. When Venus is on the far side of the sun, it appears small and almost fully lit. As it swings toward Earth, we see less of its sunlit side, so it changes from gibbous to half-lit, then to a crescent.
Venus won’t always shine alone. On June 9, 2026, it will pass close to Jupiter in a striking conjunction low in the western sky.
Around Aug. 12, Venus reaches its half-phase, appearing 50% lit. By Aug. 15, it reaches greatest elongation — its widest apparent separation from the sun. On Sept. 18, it reaches peak brightness, even though only about 26% is illuminated, because the larger crescent will be much closer to Earth.
After its Sept. 18 peak, Venus will thin into a spectacular crescent, eventually becoming just a sliver in twilight before slipping into the sun’s glare. It will then reappear before dawn as the “Morning Star,” beginning its cycle again. After dominating the evening sky through late 2026, it will gradually fade into the Sun’s glare by October before reappearing as a Morning Star in early 2027.
Apparitions – the rise to prominence and subsequent fall – of Venus follow an eight-year cycle, as seen from Earth, during which it orbits the sun 13 times.
Venus’ brilliance comes down to geometry and physics. As an inner planet orbiting closer to the Sun than Earth, it never strays far from the horizon. Its brightness peaks when it appears as a crescent through telescopes — a phase that maximizes the amount of sunlight reflected toward Earth.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
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