There are nights when looking at the evening or morning sky, we can see an unusually bright, golden "star". It seems different from all others, brighter, more majestic, extraordinary. It makes you want to say out loud "Wow, what is that?" Usually, the object that catches our attention is Venus - a planet, but also a star in many ways.
Dazzling with brightness
Venus is the brightest object in the sky after the sun and moon. In suitable conditions, its light is enough for objects on the ground to cast shadows. Additionally, the warm color of its light makes it pleasant to look at, and its small distance from the horizon makes it easy to spot, hanging at the level of our eyes. Additionally, in its cyclical movement in space, it has a habit of appearing and disappearing in different parts of the sky. As the dazzling queen of the night, which it undoubtedly is, it has inspired, delighted and charmed people observing its magical walk across the sky for centuries. Venus may not be a star in the technical sense of the word, but it is a star in the eyes of the beholder.
Morning Star
When Venus is close to the Sun, it cannot be seen from Earth, but when it returns to the night sky, its character changes depending on which side of the Sun it appears on. Venus illuminating the eastern horizon shortly before dawn is called the morning star. Its appearance can be surprising, as after an 11-month absence on this side of the sky, it suddenly appears and climbs high. In two weeks, from a barely visible point on the horizon just before dawn, it becomes a full-blown queen of splendor, illuminating the morning sky for 8 months before once again plunging into the embrace of the Sun.
This sudden appearance has led the morning star to be seen for centuries as a female warrior who fights for what is hers and gets what she wants. In ancient times, it was identified with the Mesopotamian Inanna/Ishtar, and in Greek culture with Aphrodite in her earthly form (Pandemos). Born from the sexual act between Zeus and the earth goddess Dione, focused on beauty, physicality, sensuality and expansion, she patronizes love in its physical form.
Evening Star
After a period of morning reign, Venus in the sky eventually returns to the solar glow, in which it remains for a long time and emerges from it lazily on the opposite side of the sky. And just as the morning star rose for 2 weeks to shine for 8 months, the evening star rises for 8 months only to disappear suddenly from the evening sky in 14 days, running straight towards a meeting with the Sun.
In this phase of its journey across the sky, Venus reveals its more delicate face to us. In Greek mythology, it is personified by Aphrodite Urania, the one who emerged from the sea foam. The beauty and love she seeks are not of this earth. Ethereal, fleeting, gazing at the sky, longing for her beloved, for the absolute. No wonder she is so reluctant to leave the all-encompassing glow of the Sun and so eagerly returns to its embrace. When we see her beautiful light in the evening sky, she is not looking at us at all, but further and deeper, and longing ignites her glow, adding strength to it.
Protective Pentagram
Over 8 years, Venus meets the Sun 5 times as the morning star and 5 times as the evening star. If you mark the places in the sky where these meetings take place, a fascinating shape emerges.
In the image above, Earth is always in the middle and we look at it from the pole. The yellow circle is the path of the Sun as seen from a point high above the Earth's pole. Yellow dots are the positions of the Sun when Venus is in line with the Sun and Earth. When Venus is between Earth and the Sun, the phase of the morning star begins, the physical, earthly Venus is born, marked on the image with blue dots. When Venus hides behind the Sun, the phase of the evening star begins, the heavenly Venus is born, marked here with orange dots.
On the other hand, if we connect the points of Venus and Sun meetings on this image, we will see another kind of star, which Venus creates. A pentagram. And even two.
So in its celestial journey, Venus creates a protective symbol of a five-pointed star around the Earth. One near, one far. This is possible because its rhythm of meetings with the Sun (5 meetings in 8 years) is close to the divine proportion, a geometric relationship that is not only the basis for the construction of the pentagram, but also present in the harmonious shapes of plants and shells.
Where is Venus now?
As of the writing of this article (May 28, 2024), Venus is approaching conjunction with the Sun on June 4, 2024, after which it will emerge as the evening star. It will be earliest visible on the western horizon shortly after sunset on July 10, 2024. However, it will not reach its greatest brightness until February 17, 2025. So we will have many more opportunities to admire it in the evening sky.
No matter when you read this article, you can always check the current stage of Venus' journey between the Sun and Earth on Astro-Seek page.
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