2026, April 14: Venus Dominates the Evening Sky with Sirius and Orion

April 14, 2026: Venus shines brightly after sunset while Sirius twinkles in the southwest. Orion stands between them as the spring sky shifts westward each evening.

Venus with the Pleiades
2020, April 4: Venus is 0.9° to the upper left of the brightest star in the cluster, Alcyone

by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:12 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:31 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

Venus, Evening Star

Venus, April Evening Sky
Chart Caption – 2026, April 14: Venus, Sirius, Orion, Taurus are in the western sky after sunset.

After sunset, Venus and several bright stars are in the western sky. At mid-month, step outside an hour after sunset. Brilliant Venus shines from the west-northwest. It is about 10° above the west-northwest horizon. It can be seen beginning about 30 minutes after sundown, when it is higher in the sky.

The Evening Star steps eastward in front of Aries. It is easier to see each evening. Tonight, it sets over two hours after nightfall, gaining one to two minutes of setting time compared to sunset each evening.

Taurus

In five nights, Venus moves in front of Taurus, approaching the Pleiades.  It passes the star cluster on April 23.  Three nights earlier, they fit in the same binocular field for a few evenings.  Moving farther eastward, it passes Aldebaran, the Bull’s brightest star, on May 1.  Tonight, Venus is 12° below the star cluster and over 20° to the lower right of Aldebaran.

Throughout the month, its brightness is fairly constant. Beginning in June, the Evening Star rapidly gains brightness, peaking at over twice tonight’s brightness near the time of the autumnal equinox.

Sirius

Tonight, Sirius is over 20° above the southwest horizon. It is likely twinkling on these cool April evenings. Venus is nine times brighter than Sirius, so the star is about 11% of Venus’ visual intensity.

From approximately April 25 through April 30, Venus and Sirius are at nearly the same altitude during evening twilight. They are not close, 55° apart, but the brightest planet and the brightest star are at the same height above the horizon.

Orion

Famous Orion is in the southwest sky, nearly between Sirius and Venus. Red-orange Betelgeuse, Orion’s shoulder, is over 30° above the west-southwest horizon and nearly the same distance to Sirius’ upper right. The Hunter’s knee, blue-white Rigel, is nearly 20° above the west-southwest horizon and over 20° to the Dog Star’s lower right. Look carefully for the belt stars between Betelgeuse and Rigel.

Watch Venus appear farther eastward and higher in the sky as the constellations appear farther westward and lower in the sky at the same time each evening.

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