The Goddess of Love

Venus, the brightest planet in the Earth sky is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty. In some other ancient cultures Venus represents the of Goddess of love, as Aphrodite in Greek, Anahita (or Anahid) in Persian and Lakshmi in Hindu. After the Moon, Venus is the brightest natural object in the night sky. Because Venus is an inferior planet (closer to the sun than the Earth) it never appears far from the Sun. As photographed here during its greatest elongation it reaches a maximum of about 48 degrees away from the sun.