What planets can you see in the southern California sky?

Question

I always see these stars that are sparkly, and I think they are stars but I don't know?

Answer 1

Check the source for the positions of the planets. The planets out as far as Saturn can be seen in the sky without any optical aid. They just look like bright stars.

Answer 2

Your best shot for tonight (Christmas Eve 2006) is Saturn. Look for it starting about 9:30 p.m. in the Los Angeles area, where in the eastern sky it forms an equilateral triangle with Regulus and Algeiba (the southern two stars of the Lion's sickle) in the constellation Leo. You'll find Saturn slightly brighter than Regulus and therefore the brightest object in that region of the sky, although not as bright as Sirius, which of course is the brightest star in all the sky.

That's all you get for naked eye planets in the evening sky. If you have a clear view of the eastern sky, however, get up an hour before sunrise to see two more coming up before dawn, while waiting to open your Christmas presents.

The brightest is Jupiter. You can't miss it. Jupiter is the brightest object in the early morning sky, low in the southeast, in the constellation Scorpius.

Below Jupiter, after about 6:00 a.m. in Los Angeles, you'll be able to see Mars. It is considerably less bright than Jupiter and you must have a clear view southeast to spot it. Mars, Jupiter and the star Antares form an isoceles triangle that's worth going out early to see. But hurry! By about 6:15 or so, they fade into the growing morning glare. And you need an unobstructed view southeast.

Here's a challenge for you! See if you can be the first on this site to spot Venus, which just now is starting to come into the evening sky. Venus sets before 5:30 p.m. in Los Angeles. If you were out about 5:15 p.m. and had an unobstructed view southwest, you might catch a glimpse of the brightest planet of all, although much dimmed by twilight and ground haze.

Tonight, Christmas Eve, Venus quickly dips out of sight. Over the next couple of weeks, however, it surges into the darkness at the rate of two minutes a day so that by January, if you look west as soon as it starts to get dark, you can't miss it!

Answer 3

Mercury , Venus, Mars Jupiter and Saturn were known to the Ancients.
Mercury is by far the most difficult to see with the naked eye.
Venus and Jupiter are the easiest
The Greeks called them planets , Greek for wanderers
Stars twinkle planets don't .
Over a short period of time [ an hour] a planets motion relative to the star background will be apparent

Answer 4

Right now Neptune and Uranus are up, although you need a telescope to see them I think. Saturn rises later in the night sometime around 9. The sparkle you speak of is stars twinkling. Twinkling is caused by the starlight getting refracted by our atmosphere. If you look straight up, stars seem to twinkle less because you are looking through less atmosphere, while if you look on the horizon, stars will twinkle a lot.

Answer 5

Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are visible to the naked eye. Venus is commonly called the Evening Star and is visible close to sunset and dawn (depending on the night). Check with a good astronomical site or listen to Star Date on NPR to find out more.