Venus burns brightest this week as it moves toward earth
Venus burns bright this week as it moves across the sun.
Venus will burn bright in the western sky this week.
Although Venus is normally one of the most noticeable objects in the sky, in the coming days it will be at its brightest due to several factors, reported Discovery News.
Astronomers call this a "greatest illuminated extent" for Venus.
More from GlobalPost: Venus Transit 2012: Venus, Earth and Sun align June 5 in rare event
According to Zee News, Venus is currently moving towards Earth and is thus getting larger and brighter to viewers from land.
Venus will subsequently move in front of the sun, which will slowly decrease it visibility.
Yet, despite its current light, to observers on earth the planet currently looks like a half moon.
In fact, Venus has been so bright that a pilot for Air Canada nosedived a flight from Toronto to Zurich in order to avoid what he thought was an oncoming plane.
More from GlobalPost: Air Canada pilot mistook Venus for another aircraft, diving hundreds of feet
The surface temperature on Venus is a burning hot 860 degrees Fahrenheit.
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