Starwatch: look out for Venus blazing brightly in inconspicuous Pisces
Having reached its highest point in the evening sky last week Venus is beginning to move back towards the sun. But before it disappears from view in March, it will continue to put on a dazzling show.
It will blaze brightly on 16 February at a magnitude of –4.2, the brightest of this apparition. It will also still be high enough in the sky to be well visible several hours after the sun has set, when the sky is fully dark.
Perhaps part of the planet’s visual magic is that it appears to break through in the deepening twilight. Venus is so bright for three reasons. First, it is closer to the sun than we are, so receives more sunlight. Second, it is covered in highly reflective clouds that bounce some of that incident sunlight towards us. And third, it is the closest planet to Earth, so the reflected light does not dissipate as much before it reaches us.
The planet is currently situated in Pisces, the fishes, and serves as a handy signpost for identifying this rather inconspicuous constellation. The chart shows the view looking west from London at 19:00 GMT on 16 February.