Look up! Venus is brighter right now than it has been at any other point this year. According to EarthSky, "On December 3, Venus will reach its greatest illuminated extent. The lighted portion of the planet visible from Earth – the crescent Venus, seen through telescopes now – will cover its greatest area on our sky’s dome. So it’s around this time that astronomers will say Venus appears at greatest brilliancy." Basically its brightness has to do with Venus's orbit around the sun as well as our orbit.
To find the "Evening Star" look west after sunset. In some spots you can even see Venus during the daylight, but it will look like a crescent shape as explained above. That's because tomorrow at its brightest moment, Venus will only be 26% illuminated. Venus is the brightest planet we can see, so it should be pretty easy to spot right now. We saw some high cirrus clouds during the day Thursday, but the sky should clear out more overnight.Â
Venus is not the only planet in the night sky to look for over the next few days. The image above is also from EarthSky and shows how our moon will travel through the night sky over the next few days. Look toward the south/southwest after sunset to try to spot Saturn and Jupiter. Within the next week, the moon will appear to be closer to them making them easier to spot.Â
