August 24, 2026: Watch Venus close the gap to Spica during late August. Follow the nightly separation changes leading to their September 1 conjunction in the western evening sky.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:08 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:37 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
Evening Star
Venus approaches Spica leading up to their conjunction on September 1.
Approaching its greatest brilliancy in nearly a month, the Evening Star shines brightly in the west-southwest after sunset. The distance between Venus and Earth rapidly closes as the planet passes between our planet and the sun during inferior conjunction in two months. Afterward, Venus quickly appears in the morning sky, still near Spica.
Through a telescope, the planet exhibits an evening crescent phase, about 45% illuminated.
Spica
Spica, Virgo’s brightest star, is a milestone along the ecliptic — the plane of the solar system where the planets and moon appear to move. The star is 2° below the plane and, as the 10th brightest star in the night sky at the mid-northern latitudes, it makes attractive conjunctions with the moon and bright planets.
At 45 minutes after sunset, brilliant Venus is 10° above the west-southwest horizon. Find a clear horizon looking in that direction. A hilltop or a high floor in a building helps with the view. This evening, Spica is 6.9° to Venus’ upper left. They easily fit into the same binocular field of view.
The Scene
Here’s what to see as the conjunction approaches at 45 minutes after sunset in the west-southwest. The separations are:
- August 25: 6.0°
- August 26: 5.2°
- August 27: 4.3°
- August 28: 3.6°
- August 29: 2.8°
- August 30: 2.2°
- August 31: 1.7°
- September 1: 1.5°. This is conjunction evening. Venus passes to Spica’s lower left.
The pairing becomes increasingly attractive through a binocular as the gap narrows each evening. Find a clear horizon looking toward the west-southwest. From night to night, watch Venus approach and pass Spica.
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