Is There A Way To Find Planets With The Naked Eye.. And A Telescope?

Question

I'm not good with lat/long horizon etc i just wanna find Venus and Mars :D and Mercury.. and Jupiter.. Saturn.. (I do have a telescope) but how do I know when I'm looking it at it??

Answer 1

Mercury is difficult for an amateur, it is always very close to the sun, and hard to see if you don't have a clear view of the horizon.

Venus never wanders too far from the sun either, (in the west just after sunset, or in the east just before sunrise), but it MUCH brighter.  In fact, Venus (if it's in the sky when you're looking) will be the brightest "STAR"  (not really a star, but looks like one) in the sky.  It's often so bright, and because it is often low in the sky, casual observers may think it is an airplane with it's landing lights on.  

Mars will vary in brightness, but is easilly visible with the naked eye, and is reddish in color.  

Jupiter, will probably be the brightest one you will see if you go out right now (or whenever it gets dark where ever you are).  It should be in the southeast or south around 10pm-midnight local time, very bright, in Saggitarius.

Saturn will vary in brightness as well, but will still be easily visible.  

If you become familiar with the constellations, the planets are easy to find, since they "move" amongst the stars near the ecliptic.  

My best suggestion, if you want to know where the planets will be at any given point in the future, is to find a bookstore that has a copy of Sky and Telescope or Astronomy (magazines) ...Astronomy is probably better for a beginner, but they have a section where you can see "the sky this month" and they have planet locations listed for the month.  

Answer 2

Venus, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are very easy to spot in the clear night sky. Though they probably won't all be visible at the same time due to variations of orbits, all of these planets can be spotted with the naked eye, and their features brought to life even with an small telescope. Venus is best to be observed in the early morning, and should be the brightest object, next to the moon of course. Venus isn't at a key point for observing currently, but Jupiter is.

Next to the moon, Jupiter will be the brightest object in the night sky for a while because of its orbit approaching Earth. It should rise in the south. The best time for observing is when it is above the horizon. Even a small telescope will easily let you see the four Galilean moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, and a good telescope will easily show off the fan belts, and the big red spot if it is visible. Jupiter should show up as a large, tan dot in the night sky.

Saturn looks about the same color as Jupiter, but currently isn't in a good position for observation. It sets early, at about 10 PM and when it is dark enough to see it, it is too low on the horizon, and houses will probably be in your way. Anyway, it should be about the same color as Jupiter, but it won't be as bright. Saturn's ring and moon systems can be ea silly seen with even an amateur telescope. A better time for observing would be during the winter. Some free planetary software will tell you when the best time for observation is.

Mars shows up as a pinkish-reddish dot in the night sky. Its polar regions should easily be seen with a good telescope. But it has the same problem as Saturn right now... it sets too early.

Mercury on the other hand is visible, but hard to spot. The best way to spot Mercury would be to surf the net and get some charts on its position. It isn't as spectacular as Mars, Venus, Saturn, or Jupiter though. And because it is harder to spot and very small, its features can really only be seen well with a very good telescope.

Good luck, and happy observation!

Answer 3

Look at the "stars" in the sky.  Look for a bright "star"that does not twinkle.  It is probably a planet.  If you look at it with a telescope you should see an actual disk rather than just a point of light.

Answer 4

Those are relatively easy to find. I usually use a freeware program, like this one:

http://stellarium.org/

or this one:

http://www.stargazing.net/astropc/

These are free downloads and are used by folks throughout the amateur astronomy hobby. The first is better for visualization, the second is better for creating charts that can be used in the field. Mercury and Venus will always be fairly close to the Sun. Saturn and Mars  are currently also close to the Sun and hard to see. Jupiter is in the South throughout the night.  

Remember that the planets will always follow the general path of the ecliptic, which the Sun traces across the sky. So when you look for planets, don't look to the north.

Even with a marginal scope, you should also be able to find Uranus, which I think is in Aquarius now. Neptune is near by in Capricornis and is a little tougher to spot. Pluto is frankly not worth the effort. Good Luck.  

Answer 5

As to tell u buddy we cannot view the planets with naked eye.bcoz they are so small.And its impossible to see them.As an suggestion to u from my side is to use  telescope to view this planets.yeah.

Answer 6

1) Planets are usually in the same place where the Sun was during the day (roughly)

2)  With a good planet finder (see below), and the Moon to give a hint, you should be able to find at least Venus.

3)  Saturn, highly recommended and awesome.

PS. Stars are even more interesting.

Answer 7

Can u read a map if you answer yes there are plenty of web cites that all you do is put in where you are what time it is and it brings up everything in your area and like a map look it over find something you can tell is the same then follow the stars over to what you are looking for