Phosphorus (morning star) Phosphorus (morning star) Phosphorus (Greek "Phōsphoros") is the Morning Star, the planet Venus in its morning appearance. Φαοσφόρος ("Phaosphoros") and Φαεσφόρος ("Phaesphoros") are forms of the same name in some Greek dialects. This celestial object was named when stars and planets were not always distinguished with modern precision. Another Greek name for the Morning Star is Heosphoros (Greek "Heōsphoros"), meaning "Dawn-Bringer". The form Eosphorus is sometimes met in English, as if from Ἠωσφόρος ("Ēōsphoros"), which is not actually found in Greek literature, but would be the form that Ἑωσφόρος would have in some dialects. As an adjective, the Greek word
Deferent and epicycle prograde motion. Near opposition, the planet would appear to reverse and move through the night sky faster than the stars for a time in retrograde motion before reversing again and resuming prograde. Epicyclic theory, in part, sought to explain this behavior. The inferior planets were always observed to be near the Sun, appearing only shortly before sunrise or shortly after sunset. Their apparent retrograde motion occurs during the transition between evening star into morning star, as they pass between the Earth and the Sun. When ancient astronomers viewed the sky, they saw the Sun, Moon, and stars moving overhead in