Heads up stargazers! Venus reaches its greatest brilliancy at 7 p.m. EDT (2300 GMT) tonight (Sept. 18), presenting a dazzling opportunity to see the planet at its most impressive during its current appearance in the evening sky.
As Venus moves closer to Earth, it appears progressively larger through a telescope, but the change in angle means that we also see less of its sunlit side, causing its crescent moon-like phase to shrink into a slender arc of light in the night sky. Greatest brilliancy marks the sweet spot between the two, when Venus' apparent size and shrinking phase combine to give us the greatest apparent area of illuminated Venus in our sky.
That means Venus is now both dazzlingly bright to the naked eye while presenting a dramatic crescent through the eyepiece of a telescope! To find it, look low above the southwestern horizon after sunset, where Venus will be easy to spot despite the lingering twilight.
Venus sets a little over one hour after the sun on Sept. 18, so be sure to find a spot with a clear view to the southwest to catch a glimpse of Venus with the blue-white light of Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo, glowing farther to the west.
When will Venus shine brightest?
Counterintuitively, despite the name, greatest brilliancy doesn't quite coincide with Venus' modeled peak visual brightness. That comes a few days later, on Sept. 22.
Venus is the third brightest object in Earth's sky, beaten only by the sun and our moon. The rocky planet's exceptional brightness is a side effect of its dense atmosphere, which veils the planet's surface beneath dense sulphuric acid clouds that reflect 70% of incoming sunlight back out into space, according to MIT.
At 1:32 p.m. EDT (1732 GMT) on Sept. 22, Venus will reach its peak visual brightness at magnitude -4.6 according to In The Sky.
The Celestron NexStar 4SE is ideal for beginners wanting quality, reliable and quick views of the night sky. It's sturdily built, quick to set up and automatically locates night sky targets and provides crisp, clear views of them. For a more in-depth look at our Celestron NexStar 4SE review
Remember, pointing a pair of binoculars or a telescope at the sun is extremely dangerous and can cause immediate and permanent loss of sight. Be sure to use time and date's sunrise and sunset calculator to ensure that the sun is safely below the horizon before observing the crescent phase of Venus with a telescope.
Over the coming weeks, Venus' crescent will grow ever thinner while its apparent size grows larger as the planet moves closer to Earth. Venus will then disappear from the evening sky as it approaches inferior conjunction on Oct. 24, when it passes between the sun and Earth. By early to mid-November, Venus will re-emerge as a brilliant"Morning Star", shining in the eastern sky before dawn.
Want to get a closer look at the planets of the solar system? Then be sure to read our roundups of the best telescope deals, along with our beginner's guide to observing the night sky with a manual telescope.
Editor's Note: If you would like to share your astrophotography with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
