See Planets for Earth?

Question

Is it possible to see Planets like Mars or Saturn from Earth?

Answer 1

Yes you can. Actually all the planets can be seen, except Pluto looks like a star even in the largest telescopes. But Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn can be seen through binoculars are even a small telescope. You can see the rings of Saturn and moons of Jupiter, Markings on Mars.

Answer 2

Yes. Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are quite easy to see, even without a telescope or binoculars--they look like bright stars. Mercury also looks like a bright star, but you can't see it as often as the other four, because it's close to the sun and most of the time the sun's glare hides it.

Of course the planets are all moving in their orbits, so they're not always found in the same place in the sky. If you watch a planet for several nights in a row, you can definitely tell that it's moving from one constellation to the next. At certain times a planet will be on the same side of the sky as the sun, so you won't be able to see it at all because of the sun's glare--you just have to wait a few days or weeks until it's in the "dark" again.

This means you need to consult some reference if you want to know which planets are visible on a given night--the answer changes from week to week. There are a number of web sites that can help you (example: www.heavens-above.com), and there are some great astronomy programs that will give you this information too (I use "Starry Night"). If you're not familiar with the constellations, try to find a resource that will display a picture of the planets' & stars' positions in the sky, so you know exactly where to look.

At this time (August/Septemper '07), you can see Jupiter early in the evening in the southwest, and it sets around midnight. Mars rises in the east around midnight, and remains visible until sunrise.

Answer 3

Yes it is. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are visible from Earth with the naked eye when they are well placed in the sky, and often outshine every star in the sky. You have almost certainly seen them before, even though you may not have recognised them for what they were. Uranus is a naked eye object under ideal observing conditions, but usually a telescope is needed to pick it up, and even then it is only a small green disc. Neptune is not visible to the naked eye, but in a telescope it can be seen as a tiny blue disc.

Answer 4

Yes it is but only between certain times of the year at certain times of the day when they are in line of sight, Venus is the easiest to see in the sky, the time when we can see a certain planet is called the opposition when it is the closest to earth

Answer 5

YES

Do an internet search for the key words:

Curious About Astronomy

That will take you to Cornell University's Web site. All kinds of neat information and photos are on that site which should answer all of your questions.

Cheers,
Zah

Answer 6

Certainly; you can see them with the naked eye, and see details with a small telescope.