If youve been up before sunrise during this past week and looked over toward the east-southeast sky, youd have noticed the return of the brightest of all planets, Venus, appearing to shine with a dazzling, yet steady silvery-white light. From late February into early October, Venus was an evening object, appearing low in the western sky soon after sunset.

Now, it will keep early risers company through the first half of 2003.

Venus passed inferior conjunction (appearing to pass between the Sun and us) back on Oct. 31. During most of the first week of November it was invisible, mired deep in the brilliant glare of the Sun.

Venus is always bright, but in December 2002 Venus brilliance and altitude are exceptional.

If theres snow on the ground and youre in a dark, secluded location, check for shadows made by venuslight. Also on this same morning, Venus will be positioned just below and to the left of the planet Mars, which is visible to the naked eye but will appear feeble (only 1/384 as bright) in comparison.

On clear mornings you should have little trouble following Venus right through twilight and all the way to the moment of sunup. By the end of December this lamplike "Morning Star" is coming up during the dead of night, 3 to 4 hours before the Sun.

In January, Venus continues to dominate the southeastern dawn sky. The ruddy first magnitude star Antares twinkles much fainter and well below it around midmonth. Venus rises within a half-hour of 4 a.m. local time all winter and spring as seen from mid-northern latitudes.

Like our Moon, Venus goes through phases as seen from Earth. Between now and early next summer, repeated observation of Venus with a small telescope will show the complete range of its phases and disk sizes. In late November, the planet is displaying its distinctly large and narrow crescent shape, which should be easily discernable even in steadily, held 7-power binoculars.

Venus is at greatest western elongation from the Sun (47 degrees) on Jan. 11, and in a telescope its disk achieves what astronomers call dichotomy the appearance of being exactly half lit a few days later.

For the rest of the winter and on into the spring, it will appear to get progressively smaller as it recedes from Earth while gradually becoming more and more illuminated by the Sun.

By the end of June it will be rising less than an hour before the Sun and even in large telescopes it will appear only as a tiny, featureless, albeit brilliant disk. Shortly thereafter it will disappear into the solar glare, passing behind the Sun (superior conjunction) on Aug. 18. Venus will then emerge in the western dusk next November and become easy to find again in December of 2003.