The only star in the sky and its really bright (and moving)?

I think you mean astronomer. 'Astrologist' isn't a word, and astrologers don't know anything about stars. Just making up crap. Venus is up in the evening and very bright. Yes, Venus's orbit lies between the Earth's orbit and the Sun, but that doesn't mean you can't see it just before or after sunrise/sunset. Sounds like Venus. Without an actual time and location in the sky it's hard to help any more. '3 inches' is meaningless. How close are you holding that ruler to you?