Venus Meets Uranus and the Pleiades Tonight

In the west-northwest after sunset on April 23, Venus will appear about three degrees below the Pleiades, with Uranus visible just lower-left through binoculars; Venus is set to remain a prominent evening object through October 2026.

In the west-northwest sky after sunset on April 23, bright Venus appears a few degrees below the Pleiades. That arrangement continues into April 24. With binoculars, the blue-green planet Uranus is visible just lower left of Venus. The alignment coincides with the start of Venus’s long run as the evening star through October 2026. Key facts: - Venus sits about three degrees below the Pleiades after sunset on April 23 and April 24, fitting within a single binocular field and becoming visible to the naked eye as twilight darkens. - Uranus appears just lower left of Venus and the two planets are at their closest apparent separation on April 23, making that night the clearest opportunity this year to spot Uranus with binoculars. - Venus is now the "Evening Star," visible for up to about 90 minutes after sunset and expected to remain a dominant evening object through October 2026, reaching its highest altitude in August and becoming the brightest night-sky object after the moon by mid-September. - The Pleiades (M45) is an open star cluster in Taurus roughly 440 light-years away, about 100 million years old, and contains around 1,000 stars though only six or seven of its brightest members are typically seen with the unaided eye. - Venus orbits roughly 67 million miles (108 million km) from the sun while Uranus is about 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion km) away; Venus is the hottest planet and Uranus among the coldest, and both have unusual rotations. Summary: The close apparent alignment on April 23 makes that evening a notable chance to see Venus near the Pleiades and to spot Uranus with optical aid. Venus will continue to dominate the evening sky through October 2026, with predictable changes in its altitude and relative brightness over the coming months.