star or plane?

Question

Last night I was sat on sofa at approx 9.30 and out the window facing west I could see light that I thought was a star but wasn't sure if it was a star or a plane. Roughly 20 minutes ater it had moved down and right, so I assumed as it must have been a plane, but I saw it again tonight at 9.20.
Is it a star or a plane?

Thanks for all the answers, it is quite bright and very star shaped, I shall look again tonight, I have very clear vision of it as all thats outside window is a field, I shall also turn my back on it at look for jupiter.

Answer 1

You probably saw the planet Venus. It is the brightest object in the night sky after the moon. It will gradually get closer to the sun until by the end of the month it will be too close to the sun to be seen safely. But if you turn your back on Venus and look high towards the East you will see the planet Jupiter. It is almost as bright as Venus and very spectacular.

Answer 2

Hello. I don't think a plane could stick around in your field of view for 20 minutes. At 930 at night out to the west you might have been seeing the planet Venus. Venus is very bright in the night sky and as the Earth rotates Venus appears to move down and to the right until it dissappears below the horizon. You can look at it through a pair of binoculars and if it is a plane it should have some blinking lights on it. Good luck!

Answer 3

The light you saw at that time near the Western horizon was almost certainly the planet Venus.

Saturn may also be visible to the right of Venus at that time but it would be almost 100 times fainter and disappear amongst the stars as the eveng got darker before disappearing over the horizon with Venus not much later.

Answer 4

You are probably noticing the planet Venus, which appears in the western sky in the evening these days. It is very bright and could be mistaken for an airplane's landing light in the distance.

It would move noticeably in 20 minutes, but an airplane would be gone by then. The best way to tell is to step outside where you can get a clear look at it. You can also look for current sky charts at web sites like "Astronomy" magazine.

Answer 5

I am assuming it may have been a daily flight that lands at some airport that lies in the direction you mentioned. It is normal for planes to hover around in the air for a few minutes in the air while waiting for access to helipad. This happens when the helipad is busy and is being accessed by other flights.

The reason I don't believe it to be a star is the fact that it is less likely for a star to show the kind of pattern that you are talking about, on a daily basis.

Answer 6

More than likely it is neither. You were probably looking at Venus. This time of year it is one of the brightest objects in the sky and is low on the horizon so is easily seen right out of your window.

http://www.space.com/nightsky/ is a website that can help you find out what you are looking at night. Have fun!

Answer 7

a plane would have moved out of your view much quicker, plus planes tend to have flashing lights, not constant ones.

it was likely venus that you saw, it is very bright and sets in the west shortly after the sun does. you can see it every night, should look at the sky more often.

Answer 8

100%, it was Venus, I've been seeing too everyday here in Chicago. I thought it was a plane at first also, buts its Venus. You're actually looking at a planet :)

Answer 9

Most likely it is / was Venus. However, there are some satellites than can be seen without aid, and they shimmer like jewels. They are most noticeable at dusk and early night time.

Answer 10

Could it have been sparks coming from your neighbours electric drill, as I was not using a plane.