We can usually distinguish them. If it's twinkling then its a star.
If it's not twinkling then it's a planet, unless it's a star that's very high in the sky.
Probably Jupiter which rises about 9 PM, depending on where in your time zone you are.
In July, 2009, a bright object low in the southeast sky after sunset is probably the planet Jupiter.
The sun
Jupiter (late September 2009)
The planet Venus is sometimes called the morning or evening star. It can be very bright if in the right place in its orbit, as seen from earth. It will sometimes appear to be the first object to come out at night or in the morning.
First off were are you located? In the wide open country or inside a city? Lots of air traffic? It can be alot of things, plains, satellites, a planet, or any number of things.
Since the planet Mars is a relatively bright object in the night sky, easily visible to the naked eye, it has been observed since ancient times, and there is no record of the first person to notice it.
Venus
Venus is the planet that exhibits reverse rotation. After the Moon, the planet Venus is the brightest object in the sky at night.
Venus
The most shining planet in our solar system is Venus. It is known for its striking brightness and can often be seen as the brightest object in the night sky after the moon. This is because Venus has a highly reflective atmosphere that reflects a significant amount of sunlight, making it appear particularly bright.
Well I dont think any other planet could create an object such as "Saturday Night Fever."