The once dominant planet in our evening sky, Venus has disappeared and won’t reappear until late this month.

Venus was really as close as it gets to the Earth, when it reached inferior conjunction last Sunday. The planet was only 27 million miles from the Earth. No other celestial object, except the moon gets that close. The planet was in between the Earth and the Sun, meaning that even if you could avoid the glare of the sun, Venus appeared in silhouette. The sunlit side is obscured from us.

There is a pretty good chance that you’ll see Venus in the weeks ahead, as it clings close to the horizon in the morning sky before sunrise.

A bright winter full moon takes place on Monday night, Martin Luther King Day. We call this the Snow Moon, a name that sticks well with the New England season. While snow will fall anytime in winter, the Vineyard usually gets more snow in February than any other month.