Q1.
With the help of an app, Venus can be located either at dawn or at dusk. When you are viewing at dawn, look for it near the Eastern direction before sunrise. When you are viewing at dusk, look for it near the Western direction after sunset.
Answer
Observation: Venus appears as a single, extremely bright, steady white "star" quite low in the sky, close to where the Sun is about to rise or has just set.
| When you observe | Where to look | What Venus is called |
|---|---|---|
| At dawn, just before sunrise | Low in the East | Morning Star |
| At dusk, just after sunset | Low in the West | Evening Star |
How to be sure it is Venus and not a star:
- It is far brighter than any star — after the Sun and the Moon it is the brightest object in the sky.
- It shines with a steady light and does not twinkle much.
- The sky around it is still twilight-bright, and no star can be seen there yet.
- Check the app: it will name the object for you.
Why Venus is only seen near sunrise or sunset: Venus travels round the Sun inside Earth's orbit, so from the Earth it never appears far away from the Sun in the sky. It is either a little ahead of the Sun (evening) or a little behind it (morning), and never overhead at midnight.
Did you know? Venus is called Śhukra in India. Even though it is farther from the Sun than Mercury, Venus is hotter than Mercury — its thick atmosphere traps the heat and does not let it escape.