an astronomy question ..please help ! ??

Question

My internet pal asked me this .

Is it possible to see Uranus's moons,Neptune's Triton and Pluto's Charon?The only planets that I have saw is Mars and Jupiter(Without my telescope)when I was young(most probably).but nowadays I(13 years old) dont seen to be able to spot any planets anymore.I do not know how to use a star map and thus unable to spot any planets.Worse,at dawn and dusk,I cant even see Mercury or Venus!And not once have I saw I comet(except in pictures).What is the problem?Is it because of my location?(I live in Singapore)or is it the atmosphere or my eyes or satellites confusing me?

Answer 1

The moons are very difficult to see, even with large telescopes. By the way, you have certainly seen Venus. It is the brightest "star" several times of the year in the early evening. In between those times, it is a super bright star in the morning sky, before the sun comes up. Around May, you will be able to see Venus high in the western sky at around 9 o'clock. And on May 18, just after sunset, you can spot Mercury just above the point the sun went down.

Answer 2

Your location might be part of the problem. If light pollution is bad there even the planets will be washed out (Venus and Jupiter should be visible, when they are up). You have to have really good eyesight to spot Uranus without a telescope, and forget it's moons unless you have a larger one. Neptune is only a telescopic object and Pluto is exceedingly faint.

Don't fret..it's not your eyes. Go to space.com for more information on the position of the various planets.

Answer 3

it is very likely that you have seen most of the planets recently. Especially Venus and mars. They would appear to be stars. if you look at the stars at any time you will see at least one planet. as for the moons of the more distant planets they require very high power telescomes to see. comets only come around every once in a while so if you have never seen one its no big deal. look online to see when the next one will be visible in your area. you might have to waight a few years but its worth the wait.