Venus, often called the "Evening Star," has been a striking presence in the sky since late March. It has been shining brightly just after sunset, outshining other planets like Jupiter and Mercury, especially in June. However, as time moves forward, Venus is gradually sinking lower in the western sky each night. By the end of October, it will transition from an "Evening Star" to a "Morning Star," becoming visible in the early morning hours instead. Venus orbits the Sun in a nearly circular path, completing 13 orbits around the Sun every 8 Earth years. This orbital pattern causes Venus to trace five large loops across the sky over that time. This cycle has been observed and studied by ancient civilizations such as the Aztecs and Mayans. The current pattern of Venus's movement closely resembles that seen in 2018, differing by only about two days. Throughout September, Venus will continue its descent in the southwest sky after sunset, making it harder to see each night. On Labor Day, September 7, Venus will set about 1¼ hours after the sun. By September 14, it will be low in the west-southwest, setting just 30 to 45 minutes after sunset, near a waxing crescent moon. Venus will reach its peak brightness on September 18, shining at a magnitude of -4.8, which is very bright, near the horizon. By the end of September, it will set just 35 minutes after sunset. This particular appearance of Venus has been more difficult for evening observers, as it has been lingering low in the twilight rather than rising high in the sky. The best viewing opportunities were in June, when Venus remained visible until around 11 p.m. Since then, it has been setting earlier each night. For observers in mid-northern latitudes, Venus will be particularly low on the horizon by the end of September, appearing only about 5½ degrees above the southwest horizon at sunset. Through a telescope, Venus now appears as a narrowing crescent, with the sunlit side moving farther away from Earth. This crescent shape becomes thinner and longer, forming a delicate arc of brilliant light. This view might be glimpsed with very steady binoculars in the coming weeks, although the low position in the sky will cause the image to shimmer and blur. By the end of the first week of October, Venus will have disappeared from the evening sky, reaching inferior conjunction on October 24, when it will pass about 6 degrees south of the Sun. Spotting it in the days around this event will be extremely difficult. However, Venus will reappear in the morning sky in November, beginning a new "Morning Star" apparition. By the time of the winter holidays, it will shine high in the eastern sky as a "Christmas Star," rising more than two hours before daybreak and nearly four hours before the Sun.