Yes. I have here a copy the General Catalog of Variable Stars (Moscow, 1971) and it lists that object in the table of suspected ancient novae and supernovae. It was first seen on March 24, 5 BC, and remained visible for 76 days. The compilers of the catalog remarked "Either Venus or a comet could be observed" -- that's a translation from Russian, so the more literal may be "It was either Venus or a comet."
Whatever it was, it apparently was in the constellation of Capricorn, meaning it would be have been visible in the southeast or south, depending on the time of morning before sunrise that it was observed.
>> Whatever it was, it apparently was in the constellation of Capricorn
Then it wasn't Venus, which was in Aquarius at that time, about 37 degrees from the sun's position on March 24---and not especially bright, like the evening star brightness it has before inferior conjunction.
In any case no one, magi or otherwise, would have associated Venus with the Jews, and it was far too well known to be mistaken for anything else. The movement of Venus through the sky was as well plotted out as that of the moon, in those days. If the magi had told Herod that Venus was signaling the birth of the King of the Jews, he'd simply have had a good laugh.