Contact | About | Friends of McDonald | Sign up for Sky Tips

»Keywords
	Frequently Asked Questions Send to a friend  Printable version  En Español Keywords Venus  Evening Star  Morning Star  Resources Astronomy Gift Shop 2009 Sky Almanac McDonald Observatory logo cap What is the difference between a morning star and an evening star?  A planet's "elongation" refers to its separation from the Sun in the sky, as viewed from Earth. When a planet's elongation is zero, it is aligned with the Sun and Earth, and is in a "conjunction." What many people call the morning or evening star is actually a planet, usually Venus but sometimes Jupiter, Saturn, or Mars. When one of them appears close to the Sun as viewed from Earth, sunset or sunrise watchers are treated to starlike brilliance of one of our planetary neighbors, which may be brighter than any of the true stars in the night sky. The distinction between "morning" and "evening" simply refers to the time at which the planet is visible. Due to the orbital motion of planets around the Sun, a planet might be a "morning star" at one time of the year, and then later, as its orbit carries it behind and then to the other side of the Sun, it appears as an "evening star." Other FAQs Select FAQ category Earth, Moon, and the Sun The Solar System Space Probes and Human Exploration Stars and Nebulae Astronomers and Observatories Galaxies and Cosmology Stargazing and Star Lore » FAQs about StarDate Online Stargazing and Star Lore Links Your Sky Earth View ECLIPSE Network Eclipse Home Page Orion Telescope and Binocular Meade Instruments Corporation Edmund Scientific International Dark-Sky Association National UFO Reporting Center Earth Satellite Ephemeris Service NASA Human Space Flight Realtime Data Orbital Satellite Positions
| Home | Site Map | Privacy | Copyright ©1995-2009 The University of Texas McDonald Observatory Información en español

Copyright ©1995-2006 The University of Texas McDonald Observatory. Material on this site may be linked to, quoted or reproduced for educational or personal purposes without prior permission, provided appropriate credit is given. Teachers, scout leaders, and others may distribute the material for classroom instruction or related educational purposes. The materials may not be sold or published in any other form without written permission from The University of Texas McDonald Observatory.