The Venus synodic cycle is the 584-day rhythm between successive identical Sun-Venus alignments observed from Earth. Five of these cycles fit almost exactly into eight Earth years, which is why Venus traces a five-pointed star, the pentagram of Venus, across the zodiac over an 8-year arc. The pattern is not symbolic. It is a real orbital signature visible in the geocentric ephemeris.

Thirteen Venus orbits (13 x 224.8 days) very nearly equal eight Earth years (2920 days vs 2922 days). Every 8 years Venus and the Sun meet at almost the same zodiacal degree, drifting backward by roughly 2 to 3 degrees per cycle. Across decades the pentagram slowly rotates through the zodiac, which is why the active star points shift between signs across generations.

An inferior conjunction occurs when Venus passes between Earth and the Sun, with Venus retrograde at the moment of meeting. A superior conjunction occurs when Venus passes on the far side of the Sun, with Venus moving direct. The synodic cycle alternates between the two: inferior then superior then inferior again. Each inferior conjunction also delivers a Venus cazimi when geocentric latitude permits. See the Venus cazimi page for cazimi-specific dates.

The synodic cycle subdivides into eight named phases: New Venus (inferior conjunction), Morning Star Emerging, Morning Star Brilliant (greatest western elongation), Morning Star Descending, Full Venus (superior conjunction), Evening Star Emerging, Evening Star Brilliant (greatest eastern elongation), and Evening Star Descending. Each phase carries a distinct interpretive flavour. The Venus phase calculator classifies your natal phase and the current sky.

Same-star-point returns occur every ~8 years on or near your birthday: roughly ages 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, and 72. The 5th return at ~age 40 is treated as a midlife Venus reckoning because it completes one full pentagram and reactivates the same star point you were born under. The synodic return calculator lists every return with date and age.

Sun-Venus conjunctions are computed using the JPL DE440s planetary ephemeris via ANISE. The endpoint samples each UTC date at noon, detects zero-crossings in the Sun-Venus longitude difference, and returns the calendar day closest to the conjunction with longitudes rounded to 0.01°. This is ephemeris-backed calendar-day timing, not a promise of an exact conjunction instant.

Each conjunction is classified as inferior or superior by checking Venus's apparent direction (retrograde or direct) near the conjunction. The pentagram drift, the 13:8 commensurability, and the Mayan Dresden Codex Venus tables all describe the same orbital signature from different observational and interpretive contexts.