It’s still pretty dark outside at about 7AM, and if I look to the east (actually, the southeast) I see this incredibly bright object at about 60 deg above the horizon. Any idea what star or planet it is?
I live in CA at about 37 deg N, 122 deg W.
… never mind
Venus is a bright morning star this month.
Yep, Venus. I see it every morning this month on my way in to work.
I say we jump on the camels and follow it!
OK. I wondered if it was Venus, but I usually think of Venus as the evening star in the west. In fact, I was going to describe it as “just as bright as Venus is when you see it in the west after sunset”. 
Venus can appear either in the morning to the East or in the evening to the West, depending on where it is in its orbit.
I’ll get the rubber cigars!
Juliet?
I saw the same thing yesterday morning and wondered which planet it was. It was the last star/planet left visible at the time and particularly bright.
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn can all be either morning stars or evening stars. Venus is often referred to as the Morning Star or the Evening Star.
Yes, because unlike the others, those two can only be naked-eye visible during those times; never late at night.
Does anyone get the idea that “Venus” is going to be the next “‘Rio’ by Duran Duran” meme for this board?
Actually, the Magi never saw a heraldic, event-marking star in the east; they saw a star in the East. I.e., they did not see it in the ascendant; rather, they observed it while they were in the region known in Koine Greek (translated) as it is in Modern English, i.e., the (Middle) East.
But only as far as the stable, don’t forget the gifts boys 
It is the light of Earendil, our most beloved star.
An herbal BOMB? What kind of present is THAT for an infant?
Just to be clear, you’re talking about Venus and Mercury. This is because their orbits around the sun are inside Earth’s orbit. Venus will only appear so far away from the rising or setting sun because of this, and Mercury hangs even closer (thus making spotting that much harder combined with its size.)
The rest of the planets can appear anywhere along the ecliptic, even long after the sun has set.
And straight on till morning.
Not particularly related, but Venus at its brightest can even be naked-eye visible during the day. You have to know exactly where to look, though, and it’s a bit like trying to track a lost helium balloon as it gets further and further away in the sky.
Can you see it better if you are not looking directly at it?