How to spot the planet in the sky

A bright, luminous light can be clearly seen in the southeast in the early morning. It is neither an airplane nor a UFO, but a natural object.

Kassel – Anyone leaving the house early in the morning can see it: from about 5 am a bright light is visible on the horizon in the southeast. The supposed “star” continues to slowly rise and shine conspicuously bright until the mysterious light is dimmed by the rising sun at about seven o’clock. But what is it? If you’re near an airport, you might suspect an approaching plane from behind a bright light. People who are inclined to mysterious things may think more of a UFO.

But far from it: The bright light in the Southeast is neither a man-made aircraft nor a UFO. It is the planet Venus that shines so dazzlingly in the morning sky.

Venus shines as a bright morning star in the southeast

Venus is the brightest planet in the sky and, after the Moon, the brightest celestial body visible in the night sky. It is Earth’s inner neighbor and can only be seen in the morning or evening sky for reasons of celestial mechanics. Venus will not be seen late at night. Because of this, it has two common colloquial names: Venus is the morning star or the evening star, depending on when you see it.

Venus is Earth’s “twin”.

Just like Earth, Mars, and Mercury, Venus is one of the rocky planets in our solar system. In general, Venus is a “twin” of the Earth: their mass and chemical composition are similar – their surfaces and atmospheres are very different from each other. Venus is considered a “burning inferno”: the planet’s neighbor Earth has an average temperature of 464 degrees Celsius, the pressure is so high at 92 bars, and the clouds on Venus are composed of about 90 percent sulfuric acid. However, Venus is considered the planet of love, it was named after the Roman goddess of love Venus.

Venus in the morning sky: The planet has phases like the moon

But back to the sky: just like the moon, Venus has different phases that are easy to see even with a small telescope. When it stands between the sun and the earth, the crescent moon can be seen, and when it moves behind the sun, the sun’s light completely illuminates the small disk that can be seen.

Venus will remain a morning star in the early morning sky until about the end of September — but it will fade earlier and earlier in the light of the rising sun. For some time now, Venus has been a focus of research again: NASA wants to send two space probes to neighboring planet Earth after finding possible signs of life in Venus’ atmosphere. (unpaid bill)