Is the 'star' I see Venus?

Question

Recently going home from work at about 11pm I always notice a very bright 'star' relatively low in the sky in a roughly south-west direction. It's brighter then anything else in the sky. I think it's Venus but I'm not sure. If it is Venus how much will its position change over the course of an hour and over the course of a day (relative to both the ground and other stars?).

(I live in Northern England, if that helps).

Answer 1

I just tried Starry Night (another software package that works like a planetarium) and set it up for Carlisle.  Set the time at 23:20 (11:20 pm) and saw Jupiter due South, about 12 degrees above the horizon.  

That's a little more than the size of one's fist, extended at arms length.

There is nothing of comparable brightness anywhere on the horizon.

The only other thing that could, perhaps, fit your description, is the star Arcturus (a yellow star), due West at 25 degrees above the horizon.  It is the brightest star in that region of the sky (but it is still quite fainter than Jupiter).

Arcturus is normally easy to identify:  find the Great Bear, and its asterism called the Big Dipper in North America and the Plough in Europe.

The handle is curved (it has an "arc"):  Follow the Arc to Arcturus (then drive a spike to Spica -- except that at your latitude, the star Spica, in Virgo, is already set at that time).

Answer 2

it aint jupiter thats a fact! you cant see that by naked eye in the north of england! venus is usually visible to us in autum in the east around dawn time, i live in the north west! if it is moving within an hour you could be seeing a satelite, is it glittering different colours when you look closely? if so it is a satelite!

Answer 3

It is Jupiter.  I looked it up on piece of software I have that shows the sky and where all the stars and planets are.  For now Jupiter will stay in the low southern sky fluctuating slightly to the SSE and SSW but that is it.

Answer 4

What you are seeing is the planet "Jupiter".  Venus is always in close proximity to the sun so you only see it around sunrise and sunset.  Jupiter is extremely bright in the night sky and if you have binoculars or a telescope you can actually confirm this and see its four largest moons quite easily.  I hope this helps.  

Answer 5

No, that isn't Venus. That is my favorite planet, Jupiter. Jupiter is going to be close to Earth for a while, and next to the moon, it will be the brightest object in the night sky. Venus is not noticeable at 11 PM. Venus can be seen early sunset, or early dawn, and it is currently very close to the sun, and can't be seen very well even at these times.

Venus is sometimes the brightest object in the sky, next to our moon, but not always. Planets change positions, and they get brighter at certain times, and closer at certain times.

Jupiter will be coming close to Earth in the next month or so. It is a great time to observe the planet. I would recommend waiting for it to be above the horizon so you can get a better, sharper, view.

Answer 6

No, that's Jupiter.  Venus never strays far from the Sun, so you don't see it except close to sunset and sunrise.