Before sunrise, Venus emerges in the eastern sky. It is referred to as the morning star. It can sometimes be seen in the western sky just after sunset. The brightest planet makes a clear appearance low in the east before dawn and can often be found rising with the sun over mountains or other high lands. Venus is always found near Earth's surface, but it moves across the face of the sky at about 125 miles per hour, so it takes approximately eight hours for it to complete one orbit around the Sun. Because of this slow movement across the sky, Venus is able to rise while it is still dark and set while it is still light from the Sun. As it rises above the horizon, it can be seen until it disappears over the edge of the world. The path that Venus takes across the sky is called its venusian course. It can either be direct (90 degrees) or retrograde (180 degrees). Retrograde motions are when Venus appears to move backward in the night sky because it is actually moving closer to the Sun during these periods. When Venus is on its direct course, it reaches maximum brightness about two days after it has passed its highest point in the sky. On its retrograde courses, it reaches maximum brightness about three days after it has passed its highest point in the sky.