Venus is disappearing now

Venus' southern hemisphere, as seen in the ultraviolet. Credit: ESA

In about three weeks, we will lose a brilliant luminary that has been so much a part of our evening sky since the end of last summer.

The planet Venus, which shone so high and bright in the western sky during February, is now moving steadily lower with each passing night; it has begun its plunge down toward the sunset, soon to make its most dramatic exit from the evening sky since 2001.

Currently Venus is setting just under three hours after the sun in a dark sky. You can't miss it. Simply go out just after sunset and look West.

By March 12, Venus will follow the sun by only about two hours and on March 21 by just an hour. And by March 25 it will lie only 9-degrees to the upper-right of the setting sun (your clenched fist measures roughly 10-degrees at arm's length) and follows it down by only about a half an hour.

Sweeping toward Earth

The reason for Venus' rapid fall toward the sun is that the planet will pass inferior conjunction on March 27. That means Venus, which orbits the sun well inside Earth's orbit, will be between us and the sun [Video].