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For early risers and commuters journeying eastward before sunrise, a strikingly bright object, resembling a star, has become prominent in the eastern morning sky. This celestial highlight, Venus, previously absent in recent weeks, now commands attention with its intense luminosity, serving as a captivating spectacle before dawn. This article will explore the visibility of Venus as a morning star in the coming months, including its peak brilliance in April 2025 and notable celestial events.
Venus in the dawn sky as a ‘morning star’ in September 2023 as seen from Strathmore, Alberta, Canada.
This radiant object is indeed the planet Venus, currently making a notable appearance in the morning sky. Its visibility is now, both literally and figuratively, “rising to the occasion,” offering a celestial spectacle for early observers.
Following its prominent display in the evening sky throughout the past fall and much of winter, this striking planet is now set to deliver a spectacular pre-dawn performance for the remainder of spring, summer, and well into the fall of 2025.
Venus is presently establishing itself as a brilliant morning beacon, becoming visible above the eastern horizon shortly after 5:00 a.m. local daylight time this week. Recently, on March 23rd, Venus passed almost directly between the Earth and the sun, marking its inferior conjunction – the transition from an evening to a morning object. Around this date, for a brief period, Venus could be glimpsed near the western horizon after sunset and then again before sunrise in the east.
Now, Venus is moving away from that alignment, advancing ahead of Earth in its orbit. Through April, observed through a telescope, it will present a large, luminous crescent, which will grow in phase throughout the month while diminishing in apparent size.
One week after inferior conjunction, Venus had sufficiently distanced itself from the sun to rise approximately an hour before sunrise. By April’s end, it will be even more readily visible, rising one hour and 40 minutes before the sun. From then until mid-July, it will gradually ascend higher, enhancing its dawn brilliance.
Peak Brilliance of Venus
On Sunday morning, April 27th, Venus will appear in complete darkness, shining at its maximum brightness (magnitude –4.7). While Venus maintains this level of brilliance from late April through early May, astronomers denote this peak as its “greatest illuminated extent.”
Unlike Mercury, which achieves peak luminosity when nearing a full phase, Venus shines most intensely in its crescent phase. This is because when Venus appears full, it is distant from Earth, resulting in a comparatively small apparent disk size.
Observing Venus Up Close
Celestron NexStar 4SE telescope on a white background
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Conversely, when Venus is nearer to Earth, its apparent size is larger, but it appears as a very slim crescent, reflecting less sunlight compared to a nearly full Venus. To reconcile these factors—illumination angle and distance from Earth—astronomers have defined “greatest brilliancy” as a compromise. This occurs when Venus is around 25% illuminated as a crescent, at approximately 41 million miles (66 million km) from Earth.
The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada’s Observer’s Handbook for 2025 indicates that this moment of greatest illuminated extent will occur on April 27th at 17 hours UT, or 1 p.m. Eastern Time.
To appreciate Venus’s radiance at this time, it will outshine Sirius, the brightest star, by nearly twenty times. In dark, rural locations with minimal light pollution, Venus may even cast a visible shadow. If observed through sunrise, it will remain visible to the naked eye as a tiny white point against the daytime blue sky.
An illustration of Venus as it will appear on April 27, 2025 during its greatest illuminated extent.
Observing Venus’s Phases
The current period is also opportune for observing the crescent phase of Venus using a telescope or even binoculars. Stabilizing binoculars, perhaps by bracing them against a stable object such as a tree, can significantly enhance the viewing experience. Some individuals with exceptional eyesight even claim to discern Venus’s crescent shape without optical aids.
To test your visual acuity in observing Venus’s crescent, the optimal time is during bright twilight, approximately 15 to 30 minutes before sunrise. At this time, Venus appears against a less dark sky, reducing glare and improving the chances of perceiving its shape.
During the first weekend of April, Venus’s crescent will be a slender 7% illuminated, increasing to 29% by the end of the month. Concurrently, as Venus moves further from Earth, its apparent disk size will decrease by about one-third.
By May 21st, through a telescope, Venus will appear roughly half its current size, while its crescent shape will thicken, resembling a half-moon. Each morning, Venus will also ascend slightly higher in the eastern sky, increasing its angular separation from the sun.
For those needing equipment to observe Venus or other celestial objects, resources for binocular deals and telescope deals are available. Guides on cameras for astrophotography and lenses for astrophotography can also aid in capturing these skywatching sights. Furthermore, tips for photographing planets are also readily accessible.
Venus’s Prominence in Summer
On June 1st, Venus will reach its greatest western elongation, 46 degrees from the sun. Until this point, it will rise only shortly before dawn. However, this will change as Venus progresses into summer, taking a more northerly path across zodiacal constellations positioned north of the celestial equator.
On June 28th, Venus will enter Taurus, passing south of the Pleiades star cluster around July 3rd, and then north of the Hyades star cluster and Aldebaran around July 7th. It will then move into Gemini around August 1st.
Consequently, starting in June, Venus will rise noticeably earlier. From June 21st to August 5th, it will rise before 3 a.m. local daylight time. Its highest point in this morning apparition will be between July 8th and July 21st, rising in complete darkness at least an hour before dawn. A half-hour before sunrise, it will be a respectable 25 degrees above the east-northeast horizon, approximately “two and a half fists” high at arm’s length.
Venus as it will appear in the April 2025 sky through a powerful telescope.
Celestial Encounters: Moon, Stars, and Planets
Venus will also engage in close encounters with other planets during its morning transit. Early on April 28th, Venus can be used to locate Saturn. Approximately an hour before sunrise, looking eastward, find Venus, and Saturn will be about 3.7 degrees to its lower right. Binoculars may be necessary to spot Saturn against the bright twilight, as it will appear considerably fainter than Venus.
A more prominent event will occur in the second week of August when Venus aligns with Jupiter. On August 11th, 12th, and 13th, Venus will pass closely by Jupiter to its south and west. On August 12th, they will be at their closest, with Venus less than a degree to Jupiter’s lower right, creating a striking “double planet” effect – a remarkable visual event.
In September, Venus will have a close conjunction with Regulus, a bright star in Leo. On September 19th, setting an alarm for 5:30 a.m. will allow observers to see Venus passing about half a degree to the upper left of Regulus. Adding to this spectacle, a waning crescent moon will hover similarly above and to the left of Venus, forming a beautiful celestial arrangement.
Venus’s Gradual Descent
After reaching its peak morning visibility in mid-July, Venus will begin a gradual return towards the sun, rising approximately 1.7 minutes later each morning from July 21st through October 25th. By this time, Venus will be emerging as dawn breaks, roughly 90 minutes before sunrise.
Venus will continue to descend and rise progressively later throughout the fall. By late November, it will appear less than an hour before sunrise, eventually disappearing into the bright dawn twilight by early December. Venus will then enter a period of reduced visibility, not reappearing until around March of the following year as an evening object.
In the coming days, should acquaintances mention seeing a “strange UFO” en route to work or school, you can confidently clarify its identity.
It’s merely Venus.