2024-2025: Brilliant Venus is the Evening Star after sunset in the western sky.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Brilliant Planet Venus begins an evening appearance after its superior conjunction on the far side of the sun on June 4, 2024. The planet’s slow emergence from bright evening twilight is hampered by the solar system’s low angle with the western horizon.
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June and July 2024
Venus is in bright twilight east of the sun. When a planet is east of the sun, it appears to the upper left of the sunset point.
By June 30th, it sets 31 minutes after the sun about the time outdoor lighting turns on. During the next month, it only gains 19 minutes of setting time compared to sunset.
On July 31st, look for the planet with a binocular, less than 5° above the west-northwest horizon. Find a viewing point with a clear sight in that direction, such as across a body of water or from a hilltop. Venus might be visible to the unassisted eye through an exceptionally clear sky.
August
During the month, Venus gains only another eight minutes of setting time compared to sunset. In comparison, twilight’s length shrinks 15 minutes, placing the planet slightly higher in a darkening sky. It is still challenging to see.
On the 5th, use a binocular to find the crescent moon, 2% illuminated, 0.9° above the brilliant planet, with Regulus 1.4° to Venus’ lower right.
On the 18th, Saturn rises as Venus sets. They are 180° apart in the sky, a planet-to-planet opposition. During the evening, this signals the date when the pair appears in the sky in the same time. Their simultaneous presence in the evening sky, Venus in the west and Saturn in the east, becomes obvious during the next in several weeks.
As the new calendar year opens, Saturn begins the evening in the western sky, Venus passes by on January 18.
September
During the month, Venus gains another 15 minutes of setting time compared to sunset. By month’s end, it sets 73 minutes after the sun and 20 minutes before the end of evening twilight.
During Early September the moon makes another appearance in the western sky. When this occurs, Venus is approaching a conjunction with Spica, Virgo’s brightest star. On the 4th. The crescent moon is 4.4° to Venus’ lower right. On the 5th, at 30 minutes after nightfall, Venus is over 5° above the western horizon and 6.9° to the right of the crescent moon, 8% illuminated. Spica is over 15° to Venus’ upper left. The next evening the crescent moon is 3.2° to Spica’s upper left. Use a binocular to see this evening triad.
Venus passes 2.4° to Spica’s upper right on the 17th. Use a binocular to see the conjunction at 30 minutes after sundown.
October
During October and early November, Venus passes the classic Scorpion. The planet gains 30 minutes of setting time during the month. Around mid-October, it sets at the end of evening twilight. The planet and background stars are low in the sky during mid-twilight. A binocular is needed to take in the scene near the planet.
It moves through Libra, passing Zubenelgenubi (α Lib), the southern claw, on the 5th.
On October 17th, Venus steps in front of Scorpius’ western boundary. It crosses the constellation in seven days, moving into Ophiuchus on the 24th. While the constellation is large, the small patchwork that covers the ecliptic is small.
On the 19th, it passes Dschubba (δ Sco). Use a binocular to take in the conjunction as well as Graffias (β Sco), and Pi Scorpii (π Sco).
While in front of Ophiuchus on the 25th, Venus passes 3.1° above Antares. Use a binocular to spot Al Niyat (σ Sco) and Tau Scorpii (τ Sco), sometimes known as the arteries for Antares, the Scorpion’s heart in celestial artwork. Initially find Venus less than 10° up in the southwest at 45 minutes after nightfall.
With Libra and Scorpius disappearing into evening twilight, Venus continues to step eastward, reaching Ophiuchus’ eastern boundary on November 7th.
November
The Venus-Jupiter opposition occurs on the 3rd. Jupiter rises as Venus sets. During the following nights Venus is in the western sky as Jupiter is in the east. Jupiter joins Saturn with Venus.
On November 4th, while still in front of Ophiuchus, the crescent moon is 3.9° to the lower left of the Evening Star. At 45 minutes after nightfall, Venus is about 10° above the southwest horizon.
During November Venus moves in front of Sagittarius’ brightest stars, known as the Teapot, beginning on the 8th. The constellation enters bright evening twilight during the month. Use a binocular to spot Venus against the star field.
Venus’ visibility is still affected by the low angle the ecliptic makes with the western horizon. Around midmonth, it sets at the end of twilight and the planet’s viewing becomes easier with the planet appearing higher during evening twilight.
On the 16th, Venus passes 0.5° from Lambda Sagittarii (λ Sgr), commonly named Kaus Borealis, meaning the “northern part of the bow,” at the top of the Teapot’s lid. Mercury is at its greatest elongation. Look for it with a binocular earlier during twilight.
Six nights later it passes 1.2° from Sigma Sagittarii (σ Sgr), also known as Nunki. At 45 minutes after nightfall, the brilliant planet is nearly 15° above the southwest horizon. Mercury is visible, but look for it earlier through a binocular.
As the month ends, Venus is over 15° above the west-southwest horizon during mid-twilight.
December
During the month, Venus gains over 50 minutes of setting time, leaving the sky eight minutes short of four hours on New Year’s Eve.
On December 4th, the crescent moon, 14% illuminated, is 3.0° to Venus’ lower left. This is a pretty display.
Two nights later, it enters Capricornus, over 10° to Aldegi’s lower left.
A Venus-Mars opposition occurs on the 12th. Venus sets as Mars rises. Afterward, Venus and Mars appear in the sky at the same time, joining Jupiter and Saturn. Four bright planets are visible during the early evening.
On the 27th, Venus passes 1.1° to the upper right of Deneb Algedi. Use a binocular. Saturn is over 20° to Venus’ upper left. Their conjunction occurs in less than a month. Watch the gap close.
At month’s end, Venus stands nearly 30° above the southwest horizon during mid-twilight, with Saturn over 15° to its upper left.
January 2025
During the new year, Venus brightens and appears higher in the sky after sunset. On New Year’s Day, the Evening Star sets nearly four hours after sunset.
During the month through a telescope, the planet’s phase decreases from a slight evening gibbous phase, 55% illuminated, to an evening crescent, 38% lit. The planet’s apparent diameter increases nearly 50% as Venus’ distance to Earth decreases from 68 million miles to 49 million miles.
The planet reaches greatest elongation on the 9th, showing an evening half-full moon through the telescope. The planet is 47.2° from the sun, setting 3 hours, 58 minutes after nightfall.
At 45 minutes after sundown on the 3rd, Venus stands nearly 30° above the southwest horizon, 3.5° to the moon’s lower right. Saturn is nearly 14° to Venus’ upper left. During the next several evenings, watch Venus close the gap to the Ringed Wonder.
On the 18th, Venus passes Saturn in the southwestern sky. The planets are 2.2° apart in the sky, but nearly 900 million miles apart in space. Through a telescope, Venus’ phase is an evening crescent, 46% illuminated. Venus sets at its latest time interval, four hours after sundown. If this sunset interval occurred during the summer, it would set after midnight.
The month ends with the Venus-Saturn gap widening and the crescent moon again approaching Venus. On the 31st, Venus is over 30° above the southwest horizon and 10.7° above Saturn. The crescent moon, 8% illuminated, is 3.4° to Saturn’s lower right. This evening Venus sets 3 hours, 53 minutes after the sun.
February and March
Venus rapidly drops from the evening sky during February and March, heading toward its inferior conjunction after midnight on March 23rd. During February, it loses 69 minutes of setting time, followed by 155 minutes during March. This occurs as Venus quickly overtakes Earth.
During these months, the planet passes through a dim Pisces starfield.
On February 1st, the waxing crescent moon, 15% illuminated, is 2.5° to Venus lower left. The moon is near perigee, closest to Earth. If the moon were a Full moon, it would be called a “super moon.” Because it is at this near point and within 5° of Venus, call it a “super crescent.” Through a telescope, Venus is 36% illuminated, an evening crescent. The crescent Venus is with the crescent moon near perigee.
On this evening, the planet’s eastward trek ends as it begins to retrograde. This occurs 21.8° east of Saturn and 61.8° west of Jupiter. There is no Venus-Jupiter opposition for this evening appearance.
The brilliant planet is at its greatest brightness on the 14th, the middle of the brightest interval.
Venus reaches its greatest illuminated extent on the 14th. While a crescent phase, the planet is relatively close to Earth. Venus’ crescent covers the largest area in the sky. (For those seeking a semi-technical description of this event, see this source.)
Setting earlier each night, the moon, 5% illuminated, rejoins Venus on March 1st. Mercury is climbing into the evening sky, for its best evening appearance of the year. It is nearly 15° to Venus’ lower left. While the moon is near perigee again at this conjunction, this is not a super crescent because the gap between Venus and the lunar crescent is larger than 5°.
With Venus’ rapid descent from the western evening sky, it passes 5.5° from Mercury on the 12th. This evening, Venus sets at the end of evening twilight. In only four nights its sets at Nautical Twilight, when the horizon and sky are still distinguishable. It sets at Civil Twilight, about the time outdoor lights illuminate, on the 20th. If the sky is cloudy for a few nights, it could be a “Now you see it, now you don’t” disappearance of the planet.
Venus passes between Earth and the sun and jumps into the morning sky, making its first appearance by month’s end. At inferior conjunction, Venus is north of the sun and rises before sunrise, beginning on the 15th, although it is over 5° up in the west during evening twilight.
When Venus reappears in the morning sky, it passes Saturn on April 7th, although this occurs during bright twilight. The Morning Star’s retrograde ends on the 13th and passes Saturn again on the 25th.
Watch Venus during its evening appearance.
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