Venus dominates the twilight sky after sunset on Wednesday. The dazzling object shines at magnitude –4.7 among the background stars of southern Virgo.

The planet stands 8° high 30 minutes after sundown and sets shortly after 8:30 p.m. local daylight time. A telescope reveals Venus’ disk, which spans 35" and appears about one-third lit.

This evening, you also can find the waxing crescent Moon hanging just 9° above the planet.

Plan observing targets for every night by catching up with Astronomy's The Sky This Week column.