Venus shines at its best in spring and summer 2026 — here's what to look for

Venus returns as a brilliant evening star in 2026, with dazzling conjunctions, peak brightness and stunning views through the summer.

After what basically amounted to a winter sabbatical of sorts, having been out of sight since the beginning of December, Venus — by far the most brilliant of the naked-eye planets — is now fully back in view. After having spent much of 2025 as a morning object, Venus has now settled in as a prominent "evening star" for the next five months, becoming a fixture of the western sky.

As a bonus for Venus watchers, on April 23, you can use Venus as a "pointer" to locate the planet Uranus. On that evening, Venus passes just three-quarters of a degree to the right of Uranus. Venus will be resplendent at magnitude -3.9 compared to +5.8 magnitude Uranus: a brightness ratio difference of some 7,700-fold!