Viewing planets?

Question

Hi everyone!

I just got a telescope for Christmas. It's been really cloudy though so I haven't been able to use it. Anyway, I was wondering what planets can be seen this time of year. I am in Missouri. I live in the county away from a lot of lights so that shouldn't be a problem. Thanks!

Answer 1

There are several sites that provide sky maps for your area. Just input time, date and location to get a chart that shows where the planets are.

Use the wunderground link, and input your ZIP code. If not in the USA, go to http://www.wunderground.com and enter your city, then click the link under the phases of the moon. Click on a star or planet to get infor for aiming your telescope.

Answer 2

The bright star high in the northwest early in the evening this month is Mars. Mars is a tough target though, It is pretty small so you need at least 100 power. And it is very bright and washed out looking. The polar ice cap is easiest to see, but many beginners cannot even see that.

I suggest you start with the Moon. It is far more impressive visually than Mars. The Moon will rise late tonight. It should be well up by midnight. And Saturn will be a medium bright star close to the Moon. Only tonight though. By tomorrow night the Moon will have moved quite a bit and will rise much later. Saturn will rise a few minutes earlier each day. It will rise early and be high in the sky most of the night by March. Next to the Moon, Saturn is the most impressive thing you can look at with a telescope.

Venus is the VERY bright star visible in the southeast at dawn. Get up early and give it a try. It will not show any detail buy you will see it is not a full disk because Venus goes through phases like the Moon.

If you get good at using the telescope, try the Orion nebula. It can be seen naked eye in the sword of Orion. Orion rises pretty early and will be up high enough by 10:00 or so tonight. It is the brightest constellation in the sky and is very distinctive for the 3 equally bright stars in a straight line forming his belt. The sword hangs below the belt and the nebula can be seen as a hazy patch in the sword.

Use a sky charting tool like the one in the source to help find things in the sky. The Orion nebula will be marked as M42 on the chart in the source.

Answer 3

Mars.
Already high in the eastern sky when it gets dark. Relatively bright (brighter than any star in that area) and definitely orange-reddish in color.

Because we are still close to opposition, you may see a disc (it will get smaller as the year drags on). Depending on your telescope, you may even see some blotches on it, including a white blotch at one end -- the polar cap (do not expect to see crisp, map-like features; even my big 10-inch-diameter telescope does not show much)

Venus
Very bright in the morning sky. Rises from the horizon around 5 a.m. so check for it just before sunrise. It is possible that you will see that it is not perfectly circular (it is in a gibbous phase, like a mini-version of the Moon a few days after Full-Moon).
The light we see is actually sunlight reflected from its clouds. No surface features are visible.

Saturn
was very close to the Moon this morning. Tomorrow morning, it will be above and to the West of the Moon. It rises around 10 pm local time and is better placed for viewing after midnight. Saturn will appear somewhat close to 2 other stars that are almost as bright. As they rise above the horizon around midnight, Saturn is the closest to the Moon. You should be able to see that it is not round (because of the rings).

And don't forget the Moon itself (which was a planet for the Classical Greek astronomers). I usually keep it for last -- it is so bright that it often ruins my night vision for almost half and hour.

Your milleage may vary.

Answer 4

Mars, Venus, and Saturn.

Whenever you use your telescope, make sure you're using the correct equipment to see the planets.
For instance, Get yourself a Barlow. This magnifies the object you're looking at by 2 times. Depending on your focal length, which can be found by looking at the specifications, you can see objects closer. For instance, I have a 1200mm focal lengh, using a barlow and a 10mm eyepiece, I can get maginification of 240x compared to 120x (remember, 2x the maginfication).

It also doesn't hurt to get yourself some filters. These filters will help you see the polar ice caps on mars, the bands around jupiter, the distinction in nebulas, and so forth.

check out www.oriontelescopes.com.
They have good quality equipment and are have a reliable service.

- Jansen

Answer 5

I got a new telescope for Christmas too and haven't been able to use it either due to it being so cloudy!

Checking the weather is becoming an obsession and i am getting so impatient!

Answer 6

Mars, Saturn, and Venus are the three most visible right now. Mars is almost directly overhead at around midnight, Saturn rises late and is overhead near 4 or 5 in the morning, but right now the moon is kind of bright and close to Saturn, so it washes out your view somewhat, but the moon is almost ready to disappear for a while. Venus is a very bright star-like object you can see before sunrise in the Eastern sky.

Answer 7

You are so lucky , I wanted a telescope for Christmas but did not get one.Every time I want to view a planet I have to fly in to deep space but that's getting kind of annoying......

Answer 8

Download Stellarium a free planetarium software------- it will show you what stellar objects are up in the sky for tonight or any date in the past or future.

Be sure to type in your location in the software.

Answer 9

At about 11pm, you should see Tatooine to the East, and midnight would be Naboo.