When Venus is furthest from the Sun in the sky, it shows a half-lit phase, and when it is closest to the Sun in the sky, it shows as a crescent or full phase.
Ko je Galileo Galilei v zgodnjem 17. stoletju prvič opazoval planet, je opazil, da prikazuje podobne faze koz Luna, torej da se spreminja iz krajca proti ščipu.