The dual visibility of Venus is a rare astronomical event in which Venus is visible in both the evening and morning skies for a few days around its inferior solar conjunction.
Dual visibility of Venus in March 2025
Venus will reach its inferior solar conjunction on March 23, 2025 – when Venus passes between the sun and Earth in its orbit.
When to see: Venus will be visible in both the evening and morning skies from March 18 to 21, 2025.
Where to look: Look near the western horizon around 10 minutes after sunset and near the eastern horizon around 10 minutes before sunrise.
Venus will set around 30 minutes after sunset and rise around 30 minutes before sunrise.
Brightness of Venus: Venus is the brightest planet visible in the sky. It will shine with a magnitude of -4.0 around its inferior solar conjunction on March 23, 2025.
Visibility through the naked eye: Venus will appear very close to the sun in the sky around its inferior solar conjunction. It might be difficult to spot with the naked eye as the planet almost disappears in the sun’s glare.
Visibility through a telescope: Venus will appear in its slender crescent phase (only 1% illuminated) and largest in size (almost 60 arcseconds) around its inferior solar conjunction.
Visibility throughout the globe: The dual visibility of Venus will favor observers in the northern hemisphere.
Note: Please do not attempt to observe Venus when the sun is above your horizon. In the evening sky, wait until sunset, and in the morning sky, stop your observations before sunrise.
Why does the dual visibility of Venus occur?
Venus is visible either in the western sky after sunset (called an evening star) or in the eastern sky before sunrise (called a morning star) – but rarely in both the skies on the same night.
Venus is visible in the western sky after sunset, when it is to the east of the sun – called the eastern elongation of Venus.
Again, Venus is visible in the eastern sky before sunrise, when it is to the west of the sun – called the western elongation of Venus.
However, Venus is visible neither in the western sky after sunset nor in the eastern sky before sunrise, when it rises and sets with the sun around its inferior solar conjunction.
If Venus is perfectly aligned with the sun and Earth at its inferior solar conjunction, then Venus appears to pass in front of the sun, and we see the transit of Venus.
When Venus is highly misaligned with the sun and Earth at its inferior solar conjunction, then Venus appears to pass unusually above or below the ecliptic – the orbital plane of Earth around the sun – and we see the dual visibility of Venus.
Venus will pass about 8° above (north) the ecliptic at its inferior conjunction on March 23, 2025.
When will the dual visibility of Venus occur next time?
Venus reaches its inferior solar conjunction once every 584 days. However, the dual visibility of Venus doesn’t occur around its every inferior solar conjunction.
Next time, the dual visibility of Venus will occur about 8 years later – around its inferior solar conjunction on March 20, 2033.
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