Venus, the third brightest thing in the sky after the sun and the moon, is visible in the western sky just after sunset-I saw it whilst soaking in the hot tub, and thought it was a plane. But it didn't move! I was astounded that a planet could be visible in the lit up western sky just after sunset. Yes, Venus, is that bright! The next few days are good viewing for planets, apparently. Mars is directly above Venus, and Jupiter is in the eastern sky. The link has great info for sky viewing the planets, stars, etc. Happy star and planet gazing! February 2015 guide to the five visible planets | Astronomy Essentials | EarthSky