The difference between ‘morning star’ and ‘evening star’ (because it’s not what you think)”

If you ever heard of anyone mention The morning star(s) and the evening star(s) And they didn’t know what they meant, here’s what truly there in the sky. First, the names misleading. Both “morning star” and “evening star” originally referred to the same celestial body, which is not a star at all. It is the planet Venus, the third brightest object in the sky, behind the Sun and Moon.

Venus always appears near the Sun, but because of its orbit, it sometimes appears to lead and sometimes follow the Sun. When Venus lags behind the sun, it appears in the sky moments after sunset. That’s when it’s called the Evening Star. When the sun “drives”, it appears to rise near dawn, just before sunrise. Then it is called the “Morning Star”.

Ancient astrologers made a huge mistake

Egyptian stargazers, Mayans, Greeks, and other cultures understandably believed that Venus were two separate stars. They thought the same about Mercury, which also appears relatively close to the Sun. Around the 5th century B.C., Pythagoras identified the bodies as two separate planets, but it wasn’t until 1543 when Copernicus corrected everything by discovering that Earth was also a planet, and that all planets revolve around the sun.

About “Wandering Stars” and Whether They Are “Morning” or “Evening” Stars

Since Venus is not the only planet we can see in the sky without a telescope, we are now referring to “Morning stars“which is Venus, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and sometimes Uranus (if the versiondark, and you have good eyesight). These were called “Wandering Stars”.

It is easy to determine whether Venus and Mercury (also known as the “lower planets”) are morning or evening stars; It is determined by how it appears in relation to the sun. But with other “superior” planets, it gets more complicated, and can include morning stars becoming visible just after sunset and vice versa. Here’s how space.com dub:

In order to differentiate what qualifies for the trademark ‘morning star’ versus ‘evening star’, we can say that during the time frame in which the planet goes from its conjunction with the sun to just one day before it opposition (when it is directly opposite the sun in the sky) it is considered a ‘morning star’ “. In contrast, the higher planet in question will rise as the sun sets and sets as the sun rises. From then on it is described as the ‘evening star’, actually rising or flying in the sky as the day ends.

Did you miss Venus Transit? Too bad for you.

Occasionally, Venus appears to pass in front of the sun and blocks out some of the sun’s rays, like a first eclipse. in the middle, This transit occurs every 80 years, but more accurately, it’s a “pair of pairs” pattern that repeats every 243 years. So if you caught Venusian Transit on June 8, 2004, you can get a repeat show in June 2012. If you miss, you’ll have to wait until 2117. Sorry.