# What star is this, in the east? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 23, 2007, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703 "2007-10-23T15:06:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/1 "2007-10-23T15:06:49Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/2 "2007-10-23T15:08:20Z")
… never mind ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/3 "2007-10-23T15:13:47Z")
Venus is a bright morning star this month. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/4 "2007-10-23T15:14:32Z")
Yep, Venus. I see it every morning this month on my way in to work. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/5 "2007-10-23T15:16:23Z")
I say we jump on the camels and follow it! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/6 "2007-10-23T15:16:24Z")
[QUOTE=Squink] Venus is a bright morning star this month. [/QUOTE] 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”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/7 "2007-10-23T15:19:31Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/8 "2007-10-23T15:21:08Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] I say we jump on the camels and follow it! [/QUOTE] I’ll get the rubber cigars! ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/9 "2007-10-23T16:09:00Z")
Juliet? ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/10 "2007-10-23T16:21:21Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/11 "2007-10-23T17:19:44Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] 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”. 🙂 [/QUOTE] 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. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/12 "2007-10-23T18:41:35Z")
[QUOTE=Gary T] Venus is often referred to as the Morning Star or the Evening Star. [/QUOTE] Yes, because unlike the others, those two can _only_ be naked-eye visible during those times; never late at night. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/13 "2007-10-23T18:48:33Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/14 "2007-10-23T18:48:39Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] I say we jump on the camels and follow it! [/QUOTE] But only as far as the stable, don’t forget the gifts boys 😛 ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/15 "2007-10-23T18:54:12Z")
It is the light of Earendil, our most beloved star. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/16 "2007-10-23T18:55:46Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] But only as far as the stable, don’t forget the gifts boys 😛 [/QUOTE] An herbal _BOMB?_ What kind of present is THAT for an infant? ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/17 "2007-10-23T21:46:36Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] Yes, because unlike the others, those two can _only_ be naked-eye visible during those times; never late at night. [/QUOTE] 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. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/18 "2007-10-23T21:56:53Z")
[QUOTE=garygnu] 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. [/QUOTE] And straight on till morning. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/19 "2007-10-23T22:19:02Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703/20 "2007-10-23T22:22:17Z")
[QUOTE=Chronos] 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. [/QUOTE] Can you see it better if you are not looking directly at it? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-star-is-this-in-the-east/423703.md?page=2)