What key observation confirms that an observer will never see Venus high overhead near midnight?
Answer
Because its orbit is internal to Earth's, it is always bound to the dawn or dusk hours.
The fundamental reason Venus is never seen high overhead around midnight is rooted in its orbital position as an inner planet. Since Venus orbits entirely inside the orbit of Earth, its angular separation from the Sun, as measured from Earth, is limited. If a planet is far from the Sun in the sky (i.e., high overhead when the Sun is below the horizon at midnight), it must orbit outside the Earth's path. Venus's physical constraint means it must remain in close angular proximity to the Sun, restricting its visibility strictly to the twilight periods just before sunrise (Morning Star) or just after sunset (Evening Star).
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