The evening star is the planet Venus when it appears in the western sky just after sunset. Venus shines so brilliantly that it looks like an extraordinarily bright star, though it's actually our neighboring planet reflecting sunlight. For thousands of years, people watching the sky at dusk have seen this brilliant point of light and called it the evening star.

Here's something fascinating: Venus is also called the morning star when it appears in the eastern sky just before sunrise. Ancient civilizations didn't realize these were the same planet! They thought the evening star and morning star were two different celestial objects. The ancient Greeks eventually figured out the truth: the bright “star” they saw at dawn and dusk was the same wandering planet.

Venus earns its starring role because it comes closer to Earth than any other planet and has thick clouds that reflect sunlight exceptionally well. When you spot an extremely bright star-like object near the horizon just after the sun sets, you're probably looking at the evening star, just as countless generations have done before you.