Venus shines brightly tonight, which is why it's No. 1 report of UFOs

That bright dot in the sky? It's not a UFO, it's just Venus.

Tonight and Tuesday night will be great times to see Venus, which is shining super bright now as the sliver of the new moon rises.

With the sun setting in Milwaukee at 7:03 tonight, the best time to see Venus and the new moon will be between 7:30 and 8 p.m. in the western sky, said Bob Bonadurer, director of the Daniel M. Soref Dome Theater & Planetarium at the Milwaukee Public Museum.

No need for a telescope or even binoculars. Just step outside and look to the west. Pick a spot where the western horizon is not obscured by buildings.

Sometimes it's hard to see planets so near sunset. But you can around the spring equinox, which is Tuesday, because the path of the sun, moon and planets is nearly straight up from the western horizon following sunset in the spring.

"It's a big deal. It's the No. 1 reported UFO," Bonadurer said.

"People will look to the west and they'll think it's an airplane. If they're curious, they'll say 'What is that?' If their imaginations are really good they might go further than an airplane" and wonder if it's an unidentified flying object.

The forecast for tonight in the Milwaukee area is good for stargazing — mostly clear skies and temperatures at 7 p.m. of 35 degrees, dropping down to 32 by midnight, said Ben Herzog, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Sullivan.

This month is the second blue moon this year. A blue moon is the second full moon in a month. So the new moon waxing right now is the blue moon for March.

Mercury is located near Venus now, though it's harder to see because Venus outshines it. 

"Venus will be unmistakable. Mercury will be tough, it was very visible last week," Bonadurer said. "Even though Mercury is higher than Venus, it's much dimmer. It's smaller, more distant and not as reflective."

And for those who wonder why the entire moon is dimly visible during a new moon, which starts as a sliver before gradually becoming bigger and brighter, it's because of "earthshine."

Bonadurer explained that sunlight bouncing off the Earth reflects off the moon, which allows folks on terra firma to see the entire moon.