Venus is about to disappear from the evening sky soon—spot it in September while you still can
Venus has been the post-sunset show-stealer since late March this year, enthralling skywatchers as the 'Evening Star'. However, this evening show is gradually nearing its end. Venus is sinking with each passing night, and by the end of the first week of October, it is expected to almost disappear from the evening sky. So make sure you catch a glimpse of the planet at least once before then.
The narrowing crescent view of Venus
When the part of Venus illuminated by the Sun moves away from the Earth, Venus' crescent thins down and elongates, taking the shape of a brilliantly lit arc. You can catch a glimpse of this delicate arc in the coming weeks using a pair of binoculars or a telescope, with the thin crescent appearing low above the southwestern horizon. However, the image can be blurred due to Venus' low altitude.
Important dates to view Venus this September
Although Venus is sinking lower as September progresses, the second half of the month will be a good time period to spot the planet, according to Space.com.
September 7, 2026: While it won't be sticking around till 11 pm anymore as it did in June, it's still expected to linger for around 1¼ hours after sunset tonight.
September 14, 2026: Look for Venus in the west-southwest direction about 30 to 45 minutes following sunset. You'll also get to see a Venus-Moon conjunction on the day, with a slim waxing crescent Moon appearing just around 5½ to the left of the Evening Star.
September 18, 2026: Venus attains greatest brilliancy, glowing brightly at a magnitude of -4.8 near the horizon. This phenomenon of Venus sinking lower into the sunset and yet attaining a remarkable level of brightness offers an interesting contrast. By the time September comes to an end, Venus' time in the evening sky will have come down to just around 35 minutes. To track when Venus will be rising and setting over your location, you can refer to Time and Date.
Watch out as Venus enters the Morning Star phase soon
Venus is currently marching towards the point of inferior conjunction, when it will pass between Earth and the Sun, thereby undergoing a transition from being an Evening Star to a 'Morning Star'. This happens once about every 19 months (1.6 years). This year, the planet will arrive at inferior conjunction on October 24, when it passes around 6 degrees south of the Sun as a slim crescent during the daytime. At this point, skywatchers would find it difficult to view the planet either during the mornings or evenings. It's also not wise to look up at the Sun trying to look for Venus in the morning.
However, Venus' brilliance cannot be hidden for long, as it will make an appearance again in November before dawn. As the winter sets in, you will be able to see it high in the eastern sky as a 'Christmas star' coming into view around two hours prior to daybreak and four hours before the Sun.
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