Look east before sunrise in the coming weeks and you will see something special: Venus, the brightest planet in our sky, rising again as the Morning Star. After weeks of absence, the planet of love and beauty is returning to view, and its return carries a surprising link to the number 13.
From Evening Star to Morning Star
For much of 2026, Venus shone in the western sky after sunset as the Evening Star. In late October it passed between the Earth and the Sun, an event astronomers call inferior conjunction. For a few days it was lost in the Sun's glare. Now it is reappearing on the other side of the Sun, rising before dawn.
The ancient Greeks once believed these were two different stars. They called the evening one Hesperos and the morning one Phosphoros, the "light-bringer", known to the Romans as Lucifer. Pythagoras and, before him, Babylonian sky-watchers realised that both were the same wandering light.
Venus Retrograde in Virgo
Around inferior conjunction, Venus seems to move backwards against the stars. This is its retrograde period, an optical effect that happens because the Earth and Venus pass each other on their orbits. Right now, retrograde Venus sits in the constellation Virgo (September 17 – October 30 in 13-sign astrology). It turns direct again around mid-November and climbs higher in the dawn sky, reaching its greatest distance from the Sun in early 2027.
In astrology, a Venus retrograde is traditionally a time to reflect on relationships, values and what we find beautiful. Instead of starting something brand new, it is a season to revisit, repair and rediscover.
The Pentagram and the Number 13
Venus has one of the most elegant rhythms in the solar system. It returns to the same position relative to the Sun every 584 days, its synodic period. Five of these cycles add up to almost exactly eight Earth years. If you mark the five places where inferior conjunctions occur against the zodiac, they trace a nearly perfect five-pointed star, the famous "pentagram of Venus".
There is another beautiful coincidence. Venus orbits the Sun in about 224.7 days, so in those same eight years it completes 13 orbits. Eight Earth years equal roughly 2,922 days; thirteen Venus years equal about 2,921 days. Every eight years, Venus, Earth and the Sun return almost to the same arrangement, and the dance that brings this harmony counts to 13.
For anyone who follows the 13 signs of the zodiac, this is a lovely reminder that the number 13 is woven into real celestial cycles, not only into the 13 constellations the Sun crosses each year.
Watching Venus Yourself
You need no telescope to enjoy the Morning Star. Find a clear eastern horizon about 45 minutes before sunrise. In the first days Venus will be low and may be hard to spot, but each week it rises a little earlier and shines more brightly. Through binoculars or a small telescope you might even see its thin crescent shape, just like a tiny Moon.
As the Morning Star brightens through November and December, it can be a gentle daily ritual: a moment to notice the sky, think about what you value, and greet the day with a little more light. To learn how the planets move through all 13 constellations, including Ophiuchus, you can explore the book Astrology of the 13 Signs of the Zodiac.
Vasilis Kanatas
Delphi, November 2026