A changing of the guard of the two brightest planets is now taking place in the evening sky. Thirty minutes after dazzling bright Venus sets in the west, brilliant Jupiter rises in the east.

After illuminating the morning sky for five months, Jupiter now rises about 2½ hours after sunset. The king of the planets, currently sparkling at a dazzling bright –2.4 magnitude, can be seen about 10 degrees above the east-southeastern horizon and 4 degrees to the upper left of Virgo’s brightest star Spica by 10 p.m. This month, the cream-colored gem will brighten as it rises earlier and climbs higher in the sky each evening before going into opposition with the sun on April 7. Meanwhile, Venus will continue to drop out of the evening sky. And by the end of March, our sister planet will have fully emerged in the eastern morning sky.

Be prepared to lose a little sleep this weekend. Daylight saving time begins Sunday at 2 a.m.

First Published: March 7, 2017, 5:00 a.m.