March 17, 2026: Venus shines as the brightest object in the evening sky, far outshining Sirius and Jupiter. The Evening Star climbs higher each night as spring progresses.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:01 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 6:59 p.m. CDT. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
Venus as an Evening Star
Brilliant Venus in West
Venus emerges from bright evening twilight to shine as the brightest starlike body in the night sky. It is nearly 10 times brighter than Sirius, the night’s brightest star, and about four times brighter than Jupiter.
Sirius is over 30° in altitude — height above the horizon — in the south 45 minutes after sunset. At that time, Jupiter shines high in the south-southeast.
The Evening Star was at superior conjunction and generally out of sight from Earth during early January. Tonight, setting over 80 minutes after sunset and near the end of evening twilight, Venus is visible for less than 30 minutes in the western sky.
Venus is slowly overtaking Earth in its smaller orbit around the sun. Tonight, it is over 1.6 astronomical units from our planet. One astronomical unit equals about 93 million miles — Earth’s average distance from the sun.
Through a Telescope
Through a telescope, the planet shows an evening gibbous phase that is over 95% illuminated. Waxing and waning are not descriptive terms for Venus’ phases. Tonight’s phase resembles a waxing gibbous moon, but it is actually shrinking. To distinguish the gibbous, half, and crescent phases from those of the moon, the terms morning and evening describe the appearance of the planet’s phases, such as evening gibbous or morning crescent.
During the next several weeks, notice that while Venus appears higher in the sky each night, it also appears farther north along the horizon, reflecting the northward shift of the sunset point along the horizon.
Tonight, step outside about 35 minutes after sunset. Find an observing spot with a clear western horizon. A hilltop or a building’s high floor helps with the view. Venus shines brightly through the sunset colors. To first locate it, use a binocular to find it less than 10° above the horizon. Once found, it is easily seen again. As the sky darkens further, Venus is lower and possibly obstructed.
Look for Venus in the western evening sky throughout spring and into late summer.
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