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The second planet from the Sun. The brightest object in the sky after the Sun and Moon, it is often prominent after dusk and before dawn, in the former instance being reckoned "the evening star" and in the latter "the morning star". It is named after the Roman goddess of love, thus loading it with a metaphorical significance even greater than—and starkly contrasted with—that of *Mars. The identification of Venus with femininity has been perpetuated by mapmakers naming features identified by radar, all of which have been given female names except for the Maxwell Mountains, which had been named after James Clerk Maxwell before the decision was taken.