April 21-23, 2026: Venus and Jupiter shine after sunset with the moon nearby. Watch Jupiter approach Wasat and see the Pleiades in Taurus.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Venus as an Evening Star
Evening Sky: Venus, Jupiter, Moon
Venus
Venus and Jupiter and the moon are in the western sky after sunset. Brilliant Venus dominates the sky in the west-northwest until it sets about two hours after sunset.
Venus is near the Pleiades star cluster in the west-northwest sky, part of Taurus. The planet steps eastward as it passes the cluster. They appear in the same binocular field of view.
Jupiter
Higher in the sky, the moon is near Jupiter. The Jovian Giant is the second brightest starlike body in the sky. From high in the west-southwest, it slowly rambles eastward in front of Gemini, nearly 9° from Pollux, one of the Twins. Jupiter approaches the star Wasat. Use a binocular to watch this gap shrink.
Highlights
Here’s what to see in the western sky one hour after sunset:
- April 21: The moon, 27% illuminated, is halfway from the west-southwest horizon to overhead. Jupiter is nearly 14° to the moon’s upper left. Jupiter is 8.6° below Pollux.
- April 22: The lunar orb, 38% illuminated, is over 55° up in the west-southwest, 3.2° to bright Jupiter’s upper right. Jupiter, the moon, and Castor are nearly in a line that spans 10.1°.
- April 23: The First Quarter moon, in front of Cancer, is high in the southwestern sky, over 15° to Jupiter’s upper left. Jupiter is 8.4° below Pollux. Tonight, Jupiter is 1.0° from Wasat. Their conjunction occurs in a week.
Watch the moon move farther eastward each night and pass Jupiter. Through a binocular, Jupiter approaches Wasat.
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