Venus at its brightest night of the year

This weekend, Venus is about as bright as it can get.

Venus is an unusually bright evening star this month because it’s swinging toward Earth in its orbit.

That means its apparent size is increasing, and it’s still at an angle that reflects a healthy fraction of the sun’s rays.

Every night, Venus will be lower in the sky when the sun sets, and by January 2014 it will be lost in the sun’s glare.