Venus Says Goodbye to the Evening Sky – Catch It While You Can

Ever notice a bright, steady point hanging low in the western twilight, almost daring the night to claim it? That’s Venus, the planet astronomers call the Evening Star, and this September it’s making its slow, graceful exit from the evening sky.

Since late March, Venus has been the unmistakable glow that follows sunset, outshining nearby planets and even stealing the show from a few dazzling moons. In June it teamed up with Jupiter and Mercury for a three‑planet parade that many of us still talk about. But now the curtain is coming down: night after night the planet drops a little lower, and by the end of the month it will set just half an hour after the Sun disappears.

Why does this happen? Venus orbits the Sun inside Earth’s path, completing 13 revolutions in the eight years it takes Earth to circle the Sun eight times. From our point of view, this produces a predictable back‑and‑forth dance that repeats every eight Earth years. This year’s choreography mirrors 2018 almost exactly, only a couple of days off.

Key dates to mark on your sky‑watching calendar:

• Sept. 7 (Labor Day) – Venus will set about 1¼ hours after sunset, still bright enough to be the last thing you notice before night falls.
• Sept. 14 – About 30–45 minutes after sunset, look low in the west‑southwest; a thin waxing crescent moon will sit roughly 5½° to the left of the planet, making for a lovely photo op.
• Sept. 18 – This is the peak brilliance night, when Venus shines at a magnitude of –4.8, practically a beacon right on the horizon.
• Late September – By month’s end the planet will set only ~35 minutes after sundown, almost disappearing with the evening twilight.

If you’re somewhere around 40° N latitude, the planet will hover just about 5½° above the southwest horizon at sunset – that’s barely the width of a clenched fist held at arm’s length. It’s a beautiful sight, but you’ll need a clear horizon (no trees or buildings) and a dash of luck with the weather.

Through a modest telescope you’ll now see Venus as a delicate crescent, its sunlit side shrinking as it moves farther from us. Even steady binoculars can reveal that thin arc, though the low altitude will make the image wobble a bit.

After the evening show ends, Venus isn’t disappearing forever. Around October 24 it reaches inferior conjunction, slipping just 6° south of the Sun – a time when spotting it is nearly impossible. But don’t mourn for long; by November the planet re‑emerges before dawn, turning into a radiant Morning Star. Come the holiday season it will sit high in the eastern sky, rising more than two hours before sunrise – a perfect “Christmas Star” for anyone who loves a little celestial sparkle with their festivities.

So, if you’ve been meaning to catch the Evening Star before it bows out, head outside this week, find a dark spot with an unobstructed view to the west, and look for that bright, steady point just above the horizon. It’s a short‑lived performance, but it’s one worth remembering.