April 27, 2026: Venus advances toward Jupiter in the western sky while matching Sirius in altitude. Track its motion against Taurus and watch the moon near Spica.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:52 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:45 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-Jupiter Conjunction Unfolds
A Venus–Jupiter conjunction slowly unfolds in the western sky after sunset. While they are less than 45° apart, Venus overtakes slower-moving Jupiter. The two brightest starlike bodies appear near each other on June 9.
Venus
Meanwhile, Venus is prominent in the west-northwest after sunset as it steps eastward in front of Taurus, which has a rich starfield to watch the planet’s changing place from night to night.
The Evening Star is visible as early as 30 minutes after sunset, shining through the colorful hues of evening twilight. Thirty minutes later, it is about 15° above the horizon.
Use a binocular to spot it 6.6° to the upper right of Gamma Tauri (γ Tau), one of the Hyades, and 5.5° to the upper left of the Pleiades.
Venus, Sirius
Tonight, and for the next few evenings, notice that Sirius, the bright star in the southwest, and Venus are at about the same altitude – the same height above the horizon at this hour. There is no astronomical configuration, but the brightest planet and the brightest star are at the same altitude.
Jupiter
Bright Jupiter is about halfway from the west horizon to overhead. Moving eastward at about one-tenth of Venus’ nightly change, the Jovian Giant is 8.1° to Pollux’s lower left, one of the Gemini Twins. Use a binocular to watch it move closer to the star Wasat. Jupiter passes the star in three nights.
Watch Venus move against Taurus as it overtakes Jupiter before their late spring conjunction.
Moon
Tonight, the moon, 88% illuminated, is less than 45° above the south-southeast horizon. It approaches the May 1 Full moon phase. The lunar orb is nearly 30° to Spica’s upper right, Virgo’s brightest star. Watch the moon appear farther eastward as the next full phase nears.
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