Planets in the sky today
Which planets can be seen tonight over your city, at what time and in which part of the sky to look for them. Five planets are visible to the naked eye: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
- —bright planets visible tonight
- —brightest tonight
- —dark hours
Which planets are visible tonight
| Planet | Tonight | Where to look | Constellation | Magnitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercurylow in twilight | — | — | — | — |
| Venusthe brightest, white | — | — | — | — |
| Marsreddish orange | — | — | — | — |
| Jupiterbright, yellowish white | — | — | — | — |
| Saturnyellowish, steady light | — | — | — | — |
| Uranusat the limit of visibility | — | — | — | — |
| Neptuneonly with a telescope | — | — | — | — |
Dark hours run from the end of evening twilight to the start of morning twilight, when the Sun is more than 6° below the horizon. “Visible” means the planet has risen at least 4–7° above the horizon: lower down, haze and buildings get in the way. Magnitude is a measure of brightness: the smaller the number, the brighter.
Planet parade
“Planet parade” is not an astronomical term but an expression from the news. It is what people call a time when several planets can be seen in the sky at once — usually four or five. The planets orbit the Sun almost in the same plane, so in our sky they always stay near one line — the ecliptic, the Sun’s path among the stars. Hence the impression that they have lined up in a row.
The planets never line up in a straight line in space, and such an arrangement has no effect on the Earth: the pull of the planets is tiny next to the pull of the Moon and the Sun. To find out how many planets will be visible on another day, set the date and an evening time on the sky map.
How to recognize a planet in the sky
- Venus
The brightest object in the sky after the Sun and the Moon — up to −4.9. White, with a steady light. In the evening it is in the west after sunset (the “evening star”), in the morning in the east before dawn (the “morning star”); it is never visible all night.
Find on the map → - Jupiter
A bright yellowish-white dot, brighter than any star (up to −2.9). When Jupiter is opposite the Sun, it is visible all night. Binoculars show its large moons next to it — dots in a line.
Find on the map → - Mars
Reddish orange. Its brightness changes more than that of the other planets: at opposition, about once every 26 months, Mars is brighter than any star (up to −2.8) and shines all night, while in other years it is lost among the stars.
Find on the map → - Saturn
Yellowish, with a steady light, like a bright star (up to −0.6). It moves among the stars more slowly than the other bright planets — about 12° a year on average — so it stays in the same constellations for years.
Find on the map → - Mercury
Seen low over the horizon in twilight — in the evening in the west or in the morning in the east — and only for a few weeks a year. The hardest of the five bright planets to see: in the sky it never gets more than 28° away from the Sun.
Find on the map →
Uranus is at the limit of naked-eye visibility: it can be spotted only on a very dark night far from the city, and binoculars make it easier. Neptune can never be seen with the naked eye — you need binoculars or a telescope.
Questions
Which planets are visible in the sky tonight?
It depends on the date and the city: the table at the top of the page is calculated for the coming night for the selected city. Five planets can be seen with the naked eye — Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn; Uranus is at the limit of visibility on a very dark night, and Neptune can only be seen with binoculars or a telescope.
How can you tell a planet from a star?
Planets shine steadily, while stars twinkle — especially low over the horizon. Planets always stay near the ecliptic — the line along which the Sun and the Moon travel. And over a few weeks a planet noticeably moves among the stars — hence the Greek word “planet”, meaning “wanderer”.
What is a planet parade?
A “planet parade”, or planetary alignment, is not an astronomical term. It is what people call a time when several planets can be seen in the sky at once, usually four or five. The planets orbit the Sun almost in the same plane, so in the sky they always line up along one line — the ecliptic. They never form a straight line in space, and such an arrangement has no effect on the Earth.
Why is Venus called the morning and evening star?
Venus is closer to the Sun than the Earth is, and in the sky it never gets more than 47° away from the Sun. That is why it can be seen only in the evening after sunset, in the west, or in the morning before dawn, in the east — and never all night.
When is Mars brightest?
At opposition — when the Earth passes between Mars and the Sun. This happens about once every 26 months: Mars then rises at sunset, shines all night and becomes brighter than any star.
Can you see planets in the daytime?
With the naked eye — only Venus, and only if you know exactly where to look: it is many times brighter than the brightest star. The other planets can’t be seen in the daytime sky.