Venus went through inferior conjunction in early April 1993 and has since been a dazzling morning star.  At first, Venus' elevation above the horizon remained low despite great elongation, but once she moved to the top of the ecliptic in Aries and Taurus, her elevation increased dramatically as well.  Here we catch Venus rising just over a distant ridge line in the mountains of Colorado about three hours before sunrise.  Venus' magnitude is -4.05 this morning.   Unannotated image