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Try Venus in the daytime as you will not have any issues with any diffraction spikes since from any source as they will be considerably subdued yet Venus is bright enough to give good contrast against the background sky. At present Venus is about 2 hours behind the Sun (following). This is plenty of separation and if you determine when Venus is on the prime meridian at your location (due North) and find it’s altutude above horizon, then you can easily find it in binoculars and unaided and then telescope (low power first).
I use the Stellarium app to do locate Venus. Sky Safari (free version) will do the job too but I like the way you can drag the sky with your thumb in Stellarium after tapping on the clock and then tap on the sky to lock again.
Venus is a planet best viewed and studied in the daytime as it offers sharper views by being higher in the sky and it won’t set on you too soon if you observe earlier in the day. Also brightness is subdued in daylight but contrast is ample for studying surface features. Try it and you’ll be amazed how easy I it is to see unaided against the background daytime sky. Enjoy!
Note at present Venus is east of the Sun (following) and visible in the evening after sunset, the “evening Star”. When it is the “morning star”, it is rises before the Sun and is west of it. The Sun then follows it and depending on the angle of separation, one must be careful when observing so as not to have the Sun enter the field of view in your telescope, especially when your telescope is not tracking.
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