picture of the earth at night from space

The change in brightness for Jupiter and Saturn, for example, isn’t a huge amount. Depending on how far a planet is from the Earth, it might look brighter or dimmer in the sky as compared to another time. If you were out in space, neither planets or stars would twinkle at all! Why the difference? Stars are MUCH farther away from us than planets, so the beam of light from a star is affected more by passing through our atmosphere than the beam of light from a much closer planet. Planets don’t appear to twinkle much at all. When you observe a star, you’ll notice that it twinkles and the light may appear to change colors.

Seen with the naked eye, planets and stars both appear as pinpoints of light. The easiest way to pick out planets is to remember this quick rule of thumb: stars twinkle and planets don’t. Planets move around the Sun at different rates and the Earth moves around the Sun, so the combination of these movements means we see planets in the night sky at different times each year. It is important to note that while we can see the brightest planets fairly regularly, there isn’t a single time in every year that is best for a particular planet. Of this list, Mercury can be the hardest one to spot… it is the closest planet to the Sun and is never seen too far from the Sun, so its low altitude and the glare of the rising or setting sun can make it hard to pick out.Īre Planets Visible At the Same Time Each Year? Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are the five brightest planets in our night sky and, therefore, observable by most people.

The first step to identifying planets is to know which planets are possible to see without a telescope.

What Planets Are Visible By the Naked Eye? Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered if a particularly bright star was actually a planet? It can be tricky business, but with some helpful tools to equip you, you’ll be identifying planets in no time! Follow this guide to figure out if what you’re looking at is a planet or a star.īefore we get started, we’re going to assume two things: first, that you’re not looking at the night sky with a telescope but rather with the naked eye, and second, that you’re in a place where your view isn’t blocked by large buildings, really tall trees, etc.

Picture of the earth at night from space