Those two bright stars in the west? That's Venus and Jupiter. They're spectacular in the evening sky all week

Look toward the western horizon shortly after sunset this week, 25–31 May 2026, and you'll be able to see the two brightest planets in the night sky.

Looking like two bright 'stars', Venus and Jupiter are visible in the west just after the Sun dips below the horizon, easily visible with the naked eye.

You don't need binoculars or a telescope to see them. In fact, when bright planets are visible together like this in the early evening, they're arguably more beautiful when viewed with just the naked eye.

The two planets are visible near Castor and Pollux, the twin stars of Gemini, and are getting closer and closer ahead of their closest approach on 9 June 2026.

Here are 5 reasons you shouldn't miss Venus and Jupiter in the sky right now.

Note – when observing planets low in the west near sunset, make sure only to look once the Sun has fully set, as accidentaly catching a glimpse of the Sun with the naked eye could damage your eyesight.

You'll see Venus and Jupiter get closer together each night

Venus and Jupiter are currently locked in a celestial race. Venus is getting higher and staying above the horizon for longer after sunset each evening.

Jupiter, meanwhile, is getting lower and sinking closer towards the Sun each evening.

Currently, Jupiter is higher in the sky than Venus, and both are visible in the west, which means they're getting closer together with each passing evening.

Observing the two planets each night this week gives you a great opportunity to track their movements ahead of the Venus–Jupiter conjunction on 9 June 2026.

Venus and Jupiter are at peak evening visibility

When Venus is bright in the evening sky like this, it's a joy to observe. It appears as the brightest 'star' in the evening sky, and one of the first points of light to become visible after sunset.

Venus is often known as the Evening Star because it's usually visible in the early evening.

Jupiter is bright this week, too, which means that, once the Sun has set and daylight is fading, the two planets are easy to find, shining out against the ever-darkening sky.

You can use them to find Mercury

Mercury has officially entered the scene, but it's difficult to spot. It's low in the northwest just after sunset.

Helpfully, Mercury, Venus and Jupiter form a virtually straight line, stretching upwards from the northwest horizon high into the western sky.

That means, if you can spot Jupiter and Venus, you can draw an imaginary line between them pointing downwards, and follow that line until you come to Mercury.

You'll need a clear, flat northwest horizon to find Mercury and you should only attempt to look once the Sun has fully set.

If you can spot all three planets, you're observing the ecliptic, which means you're looking outwards across the flat plane of our Solar System.

Use Jupiter to find Castor and Pollux

Jupiter is in Gemini, so once the Sun sets, look above the planet and you'll see two bright stars.

These are Castor and Pollux, the twin stars of Gemini. Once you've spotted them, you'll always be able to recognise them when they're visible in the sky.

This is a good example of star hopping, which is when you use bright objects in the sky to help you find dimmer objects.

Compare and contrast the two planets

When you look at Venus and Jupiter, which do you think looks bigger?

With the naked eye, Venus typically looks bigger in the evening sky because it's much brighter, when in actual fact, Jupiter is the biggest planet in the Solar System and Venus is slightly smaller than Earth.

In terms of their average distance, Venus is 108,209,475km from the Sun, whereas Jupiter is 778,340,821km.

So even though Jupiter is stupendously bigger, you might find Venus is brighter and easier to spot this week, which is a reminder that, when it comes to the Universe, perspective is everything.

Share your planetary observations and images with us by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com