The Morning Star and Evening Star

Sometimes you can see a very bright "star" near the horizon at sunrise or sunset. It is not a star at all. It is actually the planet Venus! When Venus appears in the morning sky before sunrise, people call it the Morning Star. When it shows up in the evening after sunset, it is called the Evening Star.

Why Venus Is So Bright

Venus is the brightest planet in our sky. It is bright because it is close to Earth and covered in thick white clouds. Those clouds reflect a lot of sunlight. Venus can be up to 15 times brighter than the brightest real star. It is so bright that you can sometimes see it even before the sky gets fully dark.

Why It Switches from Morning to Evening

Venus orbits the Sun closer than Earth does. Sometimes Venus is on one side of the Sun, and sometimes it is on the other. When it is on the west side, it rises before the Sun and is the Morning Star. When it is on the east side, it sets after the Sun and becomes the Evening Star.

Fun Facts

• Ancient people thought the Morning Star and Evening Star were two different objects.
• Venus is so bright it can cast faint shadows on Earth on very dark nights.
• The ancient Romans named Venus after their goddess of love and beauty.

Did You Know?

The ancient Greeks were among the first to figure out that the Morning Star and the Evening Star are the same object, the planet Venus.