See Venus At Its Bright Best

Ah, Venus. Our neighboring planet, which is the brightest we are able to see from Earth, reached peak brilliancy around Valentine’s Day (which you have to admit is appropriate) and remains incredibly bright this week. Here’s how and when to see the Evening Star before it disappears from view next month.

Venus is not only the brightest planet in our sky: It also outshines every other object except the sun and the moon. For the time being, it’s very easy for anyone to find Venus in the night sky. On a clear evening, just look to the west after sunset, and you should be able to see a bright light (so bright that it might look more like an airplane than a distant planet). You don’t even need to wait until it’s fully dark: Venus is so bright, it will be visible during twilight.

What Will Venus Do Next?

Over the coming month, Venus will slip closer and closer to the western horizon each night until it finally disappears from view in the night sky in March. Starting in April, however, the planet will become visible in the morning sky (this is why Venus is called both the Evening Star and the Morning Star). This week is the last time we’ll be able to see Venus shining this brightly in our evening sky until September, 2026.

With arctic air settling in across much of the country, it may seem like a pretty horrible time to consider stargazing. But Venus is so bright that you’ll be able to see it from inside your home, if you turn off your lights and have a western view. And if you do bundle up and head outside, this sight won’t be like a meteor shower, where you have to wait for your eyes to adjust and then scan the horizon for many minutes, hoping to see something special. Nope! Venus will be right there where it’s supposed to be, unmistakable in the sky. Still, if you head out in the cold, make sure you are adequately prepared so that you can avoid frostbite and hypothermia.

This segment originally appeared in today's edition of the Morning Brief newsletter. Sign up here to get weekday updates from The Weather Channel and our meteorologists.

Senior writer Chris DeWeese edits Morning Brief, The Weather Channel’s weekday newsletter.