Why can Venus seem to follow a moving car?

When observing the night sky, the planet Venus can appear to "follow" a moving car due to an optical illusion. Because Venus is an astronomical object at an immense distance, it lacks a nearby frame of reference—such as clouds or mountains—that would allow the human eye to accurately judge its position and distance.1

When a driver moves, the lack of a stable background against which to measure the planet's position causes the brain to misinterpret the scene. This is a common phenomenon where visual impressions of distance and speed become highly unreliable when viewed against a blank sky. This effect is similar to other instances of relative visual movement, where our perception of motion is heavily dependent on the presence of a stable frame of reference. Consequently, the brain may incorrectly attribute the car's own motion to the distant, stationary light of the planet, creating the illusion that it is tracking the vehicle.12