Venus, Due West

Shortly after the sun goes down, even before the sky has gone completely dark, take a look directly due west. If you see a bright "star," slowly setting in the west, that will be Venus.

Venus is the second planet from the sun. Right now, it's just coming around the sun and is relatively far away from earth. Over the next few months it will appear a little higher in the sky each night. By November or so, it should be hanging about half way up the sky at sunset,and be a brilliant evening sky through out the fall.

Venus appears as bright as it is because it is covered by a thick layer of clouds. After the sun and the moon, Venus is often the next brightest object.

Meanwhile, a little east of due south, you can still see Jupiter. Each night, it will appear a little further to the west. In another four months or so, it will be lost in the glare behind the sun.

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August 30 is the Joshua Tree public star party, starting at 7:30pm at the Hidden Valley picnic area. The next local Old Town Astronomers sidewalk astronomy events will be Saturday, September 6 in Monrovia (corner of Myrtle and Lime), and Friday, September 12 in Pasadena (Old Town Pasadena, Colorado Blvd, near Delacey). Visit www.otastro.org for updates and more information.