Venus can be a pretty impressive sight in a dark sky with the naked eye, but this brightness means any surface detail is impossible to observe through the telescope.Surface shading is rare but has been glimpsed from time to time.For that matter venus is best observed during daylight.During it's maximum elongation east or west it can be seen for many hours just before or after sunrise and sunset.If you own a computerised scope with a fancy 'go to' function it should be plain sailing finding it.REMEMBER TO TAKE EXTREME CARE NOT TO POINT ANY INSTRUMENT AT OR NEAR THE SUN!!.Once found in a daylight sky it always surprisers a beginner just how easy it is to veiw.It can be a pleasing object when displaying a large phase.Happy observing.