As of April 2026, Venus is in the ‘slow bake’ phase of its reappearance into the evening sky, moving along a distant section of its orbit in such a way that its separation from the Sun is increasing slowly.
Venus It starts April 2026 setting two hours after sunset; by the end of the month, it sets two hours and 45 minutes after the Sun.
More stargazing
Changes in Venus’s telescopic appearance are also subtle.
On 1 April, it appears 93%-lit and 10 arcseconds across. By 30 April, that changes only slightly to 88%-lit and 11 arcseconds across.
Telescopically, this makes Venus a challenge, but there are still plenty of other interesting things to look out for.
On the evenings of 18–19 April, mag. –3.8 Venus will be joined by a thin waxing crescent Moon, 2%-lit on the 18th and 7%-lit on the 19th, when the Moon also sits immediately east of the Pleiades.
On 23 April, Venus will have moved to a position 3.6° due south of the Pleiades and 0.8° north-northwest of Uranus.
At the end of April, Venus’s path takes it north of the Hyades open cluster, although they’ll only be visible once both are low in darkening twilight.
During spring, the ecliptic forms a steep angle with the western horizon at sunset, which means the evening planets are elevated and well placed.
For Venus, this timing is somewhat unfortunate: when it’s well positioned in the spring sky, we’ll get to see the small, gibbous phase; as it moves into the more exciting crescent phase in August, the ecliptic’s angle to the western horizon at sunset becomes shallow.
As a result, when it’s an attractive crescent during the summer, Venus will remain at a low altitude after sunset.
Venus in April 2026 – at a glance
- Best time to see: 30 April, 1 hour after sunset
- Altitude: 13°
- Location: Taurus
- Direction: West-northwest
- Features: Phase, subtle atmospheric markings
- Recommended equipment: 100mm or larger
Share your observations and images with us by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com
