Ernest Catropa, age 15, of Bridgeport, Connecti  cut, for his question:

Is the Evening Star a planet?

The Evening Star appears in the western sky, just after the sun dips below the horizon. And, yes, this so called star is really a planet. However, it is not always the same planet. Right now, the role of the Evening Star is being played by the planet Venus. Our sister world is now at her brightest. Her big golden eye blinks on almost before sunset and way ahead of any real star in the sky. Sometimes Venus is bright enough to be seen even before the dazzling sun has set.

There are times when the role of the Evening Star is played by Mars or Jupiter, by Saturn or even by little Mercury. In fact, each of the visible planets gets a turn to play the role of the Evening Star. Each also at some time also gets a chance to play the role of the Morning Star. These starring roles occur when a planet happens to be near the sun when it is in the eastern or western part of the sky.