Sunrise Sunset

Fri., Feb. 13 6:40 5:12

Sat., Feb. 14 6:38 5:13

Sun., Feb. 15 6:37 5:14

Mon., Feb. 16 6:36 5:15

Tues., Feb. 17 6:34 5:17

Wed., Feb. 18 6:33 5:18

Thurs., Feb. 19 6:32 5:19

Fri., Feb. 20 6:30 5:20

Venus, the goddess of love, is high in the western sky tonight and for the nights ahead. The showing doesn’t get any better than this, especially since it coincides with Valentine’s Day tomorrow. The planet is high in the west at sunset, speeding along through the stars, keeping ahead of the movement of the sun.

For those with binoculars, Venus’s movement amid the stars can be watched more carefully. Venus is moving through the constellation Pisces. If you look tonight with binoculars and look again in a few more nights, Venus will appear as though it has jumped forward.

But this apparent motion will change by the end of the month, when Venus will slow down, and later sink amid the glare of the setting sun. By March, the planet will drop from the sky.

Late this month Venus will appear to drop. So now is a good time to enjoy it. By April, Venus makes a complete shift to a morning planet.

Saturn

The second most visible planet in our evening sky is Saturn. The ringed planet rises in the eastern sky well after sunset and stays up all night. Saturn is in the zodiacal constellation Leo, edging toward the zodiacal constellation Virgo. It is the brightest planet, rising in the east after 10 p.m., and easy to spot.

M.A.L.