Which planet is known as the Morning Star?
Venus is known as the Morning Star, and also the Evening Star, because it shines brightly near the horizon before sunrise or after sunset. It is the brightest planet in the sky.
Venus orbits closer to the Sun than Earth does, so from our point of view it never strays far from the Sun in the sky. Depending on where it is in its orbit, Venus appears either in the east before dawn, as the morning star, or in the west after sunset, as the evening star.
Ancient peoples, including the Greeks, originally thought these were two different objects. The Greeks called the morning star Phosphorus and the evening star Hesperus. Later, they realized both were the same planet. The Romans named it Venus after their goddess of love and beauty.
Why it is so bright
Venus is the brightest natural object in the night sky after the Moon. It is close to Earth and covered by thick, highly reflective clouds of sulfuric acid that bounce back about 70 percent of the sunlight hitting them. It is sometimes even visible in daylight if you know where to look.
Did You Know?
Venus is sometimes mistaken for a UFO because it can look so bright and steady near the horizon.