The upper chart shows the path of Venus across the background stars over the course of the year. Stars to magnitude +4.5 are shown with some fainter objects included to complete constellation patterns. The white circles represent the planet on the first day of the month and are scaled according to apparent magnitude. The faint paths before the first circle and after the last circle represent the planet's positions in December of last year and January of next. In general, the planet moves from right to left except when it's in retrograde and proceding in the opposite direction. As an inferior planet, Venus never strays far from the Sun so it always begins and ends the year near the constellation of Sagittarius, located about one quarter of the way in from the left side of the chart.
The lower charts show how the appearance of Venus changes over the year. Below each image is listed the date, the apparent magnitude, the apparent diameter of the disk (in arc-seconds), the geocentric distance (in au), the elongation from the Sun (in degrees) and the percentage of the disk which is illuminated. Like the Moon, Venus exhibits a complete range of phases, from new to crescent to gibbous to full and back again. Unlike the Moon, however, Venus takes over a year to complete this phase cycle. Note how Venus is at its brightest during its crescent phase, when it is relatively close to the Earth.
Venus is the evening star at the outset of 2025, best seen from the tropics, and reaching greatest elongation east early in January. Inferior conjunction takes place late in March and Venus is found in the dawn sky for the remainder of the year. This morning apparition favours equatorial and southern regions. It is very low in the east by the end of the year, with superior conjunction taking place in January 2026. Venus encounters all of the other planets except Mars during the year, with a particularly close pass by Jupiter in August. The Moon occults Venus once, in September.
All times and dates are in UT with the time given to the nearest hour unless otherwise indicated. Positions are geocentric apparent places and referred to the true equator and equinox of date.
- Apparitions of the Inferior Planets from Latitude 50° North
- Apparitions of the Inferior Planets from Latitude 10° North
- Apparitions of the Inferior Planets from Latitude 30° South
| January | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 00:00 | Aquarius |
| 3 | 15:00 | 1.4° (declination) north of Moon |
| 16:00 | 1.3° (ecliptic latitude) north of Moon | |
| 10 | 04:00 | greatest elongation east: 47.2°, magnitude −4.43 |
| 12 | 03:00 | theoretical dichotomy |
| 16 | 20:00 | ascending node |
| 19 | 01:00 | 2.2° (ecliptic latitude) north of Saturn |
| 20 | 05:00 | 2.5° (declination) north of Saturn |
| 23 | 11:00 | Aquarius → Pisces |
| February | ||
| 1 | 17:00 | 3.3° (ecliptic latitude) north of Neptune |
| 20:00 | 2.3° (declination) north of Moon | |
| 22:00 | 2.1° (ecliptic latitude) north of Moon | |
| 3 | 20:00 | 4.0° (declination) north of Neptune |
| 19 | 20:00 | perihelion: 0.7185 au |
| 28 | 03:00 | stationary (right ascension): direct motion → retrograde motion |
| March | ||
| 1 | 23:00 | 6.4° (declination) north of Moon |
| 2 | 01:00 | stationary (ecliptic longitude): direct motion → retrograde motion |
| 03:00 | 5.7° (ecliptic latitude) north of Moon | |
| 9 | 11:00 | 6.3° (declination) north of Mercury |
| 11 | 23:00 | 5.6° (ecliptic latitude) north of Mercury |
| 18 | 16:00 | maximum ecliptic latitude north: +8.56° |
| 21 | 01:00 | 10.7° (declination) north of Neptune |
| 22 | 10:00 | Pisces → Pegasus |
| 16:00 | minimum distance from Earth: 0.2806 au | |
| 23 | 01:00 | inferior conjunction: evening sky → morning sky |
| 24 | 10:00 | Pegasus → Pisces |
| 27 | 13:00 | 9.2° (ecliptic latitude) north of Neptune |
| 28 | 14:00 | 8.7° (declination) north of Moon |
| 19:00 | 7.6° (ecliptic latitude) north of Moon | |
| 30 | 06:00 | 10.3° (declination) north of Saturn |
| April | ||
| 7 | 11:00 | 7.9° (ecliptic latitude) north of Saturn |
| 10 | 15:00 | stationary (right ascension): retrograde motion → direct motion |
| 13 | 00:00 | stationary (ecliptic longitude): retrograde motion → direct motion |
| 25 | 00:00 | 4.1° (ecliptic latitude) north of Saturn |
| 01:00 | 2.4° (declination) north of Moon | |
| 03:00 | 2.1° (ecliptic latitude) north of Moon | |
| 29 | 02:00 | 3.7° (declination) north of Saturn |
| May | ||
| 2 | 17:00 | 2.1° (ecliptic latitude) north of Neptune |
| 4 | 03:00 | 2.1° (declination) north of Neptune |
| 8 | 10:00 | descending node |
| 11 | 20:00 | Pisces → Cetus |
| 13 | 11:00 | Cetus → Pisces |
| 23 | 21:00 | 3.6° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon |
| 23:30 | 4.0° (declination) south of Moon | |
| June | ||
| 1 | 02:00 | greatest elongation west: 45.9°, magnitude −4.31 |
| 23:00 | theoretical dichotomy | |
| 9 | 14:00 | Pisces → Cetus |
| 10 | 16:00 | Cetus → Aries |
| 12 | 03:00 | aphelion: 0.7282 au |
| 22 | 05:00 | 6.8° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon |
| 09:00 | 7.2° (declination) south of Moon | |
| 18:00 | maximum ecliptic latitude south: −2.69° | |
| 28 | 08:00 | Aries → Taurus |
| July | ||
| 4 | 01:00 | 2.4° (declination) south of Uranus |
| 13:00 | 2.4° (ecliptic latitude) south of Uranus | |
| 21 | 18:00 | 7.1° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon |
| 19:00 | 7.1° (declination) south of Moon | |
| 29 | 08:00 | Taurus → Orion |
| 31 | 14:00 | Orion → Gemini |
| August | ||
| 5 | 08:00 | maximum declination north: +22° 0′ 37″ |
| 12 | 06:00 | 0.9° (ecliptic latitude) south of Jupiter |
| 08:00 | 0.9° (declination) south of Jupiter | |
| 20 | 11:00 | 4.9° (declination) south of Moon |
| 12:00 | 4.8° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon | |
| 24 | 09:00 | Gemini → Cancer |
| 29 | 14:00 | ascending node |
| September | ||
| 9 | 20:00 | Cancer → Leo |
| 19 | 11:47 | 0.8° (declination) south of Moon: occultation |
| 12:22 | 0.8° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon: occultation | |
| 16:00 | 0.4° north of the first-magnitude star Regulus (α Leonis) | |
| October | ||
| 2 | 09:00 | perihelion: 0.7184 au |
| 8 | 17:00 | Leo → Virgo |
| 19 | 18:00 | 3.3° (ecliptic latitude) north of Moon |
| 22:00 | 3.7° (declination) north of Moon | |
| November | ||
| 13 | 02:00 | Virgo → Libra |
| 19 | 05:00 | 5.4° (ecliptic latitude) north of Moon |
| 09:00 | 5.7° (declination) north of Moon | |
| 25 | 02:00 | 1.0° (ecliptic latitude) south of Mercury |
| 05:00 | 1.1° (declination) south of Mercury | |
| December | ||
| 3 | 05:00 | Libra → Scorpius |
| 7 | 04:00 | Scorpius → Ophiuchus |
| 19 | 01:00 | descending node |
| 16:00 | 4.9° (ecliptic latitude) north of Moon | |
| 17:00 | 4.9° (declination) north of Moon | |
| 21 | 23:30 | Ophiuchus → Sagittarius |
| 27 | 22:00 | maximum declination south: −23° 43′ 30″ |
| January 2026 | ||
| 1 | 00:00 | maximum distance from Earth: 1.7010 au |
Copyright © 2025 by L.M. Stockman and David Harper