The most notable evening star since the end of 2022 is undoubtedly Venus, which little by little has been advancing in the celestial vault and. But soon our planetary neighbor will begin to descend until it becomes a morning star. The good news is that this week it will reach its best point of visibility.
Venus rising in the evening sky
Venus officially became the brightest evening star on October 22 of last year. This was the first time we were able to see Venus at sunset, although not as visibly as on May days. Since October it has been rising in the evening skies and you can almost swear that it appears very bright even before the total completely covers the sky.
But the biggest problem in observing it is that it is close to the Sun on the western horizon, so once night comes, it only leaves us a window of a few minutes to see it suspended in the sky. Although that is changing as the months of the year go by.
During this week, Venus will be at its highest visibility point, so if you haven’t had the opportunity to see it shine, this week is your best option to distinguish it from the other stars on the celestial map.
How to see Venus in the sky
To see it you must wait until the last minutes of sunset and then turn to the west, you will see a shining star in the sky. That’s Venus, which is just now slowly sliding into the constellation of Gemini. Further east along the ecliptic (the imaginary line where the Sun and Moon move from east to west), you can also see Mars, although the red planet is not very bright at the moment.
Venus will continue in the evening sky, although it will no longer shine with the same magnitude as this week. In exchange, she will offer us a view closer to midnight, which is extremely rare for the Venusian planet that only appears at sunset or sunrise.
According to the , it will be June 4 when it reaches its greatest elongation, which is the most distant point that will be from the Sun is about 45º from it. This separation will allow us to see Venus later in the night and further away from sunset. But from that moment on she will begin to fade until she is lost.
Take advantage of this time to hunt the planet before it finally becomes a morning star and you have to get up early to see it. You can capture the planet even with your smartphone by following the tips in our guide to photographing the night sky that