How to Find the Planets in the Night Sky

Whenever we think about the planets or are  taught about them in school images like   this often come to mind. Where the perfection  and beauty of the planets is on full display,   but in reality when we look  for the planets of the sky   this is more of a realistic view of what we  will see. The planets of the night sky are   more like steady points of bright light that  can even outshine the brightest of stars.   Here's another realistic view of what the planets  and here's the moon would look like in the sky   compared to the stars. So in this video i'm going  to give you a crash course on viewing the planets.   We'll take a look at general characteristics  of each planet, what they look like in the sky,   and realistic pictures of what you would see  if you view the planets through a telescope.   Welcome to learn the sky my name is Janine and  I'll be your guide as we explore the night sky   together one constellation at a time. Before we  take a look at the different types of planets that   we can see in the night sky let's first identify  what a planet is and where the origin of its name   came from. The word planet is traced back to the  ancient greeks and its name meant wandering star   and this is because its motion in the sky was  very peculiar and this is what you can see in   this photo here. With mars sometimes mars appears  to be traveling forwards in the sky and then it'll   hang around for some time and then it starts to  travel backwards in the sky and then it moves   forward fairly quickly and this motion is recorded  over the course of a few months. So that's why it   he has that origin of the name wandering stars but  a planet itself has to meet three certain criteria   in order to be classified as a planet and we're  strictly speaking of planets that are within our   own solar system. First the body needs to orbit  a star, which in our case is the sun, It must   be massive enough for its own gravity to make it  round in shape or spherical in shape, and it must   be big enough that its gravity has cleared out the  objects in its orbital path. This is where Pluto   was demoted because it didn't quite clear out its  orbital path. So when we think of our planets we   think of course think of our own solar system and  we have them here in order Mercury Venus Earth   Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus, or Uranus as i've  been calling it as of late to honor the name in   which it really came from, and then Neptune. These  are the eight planets. We have the inner planets   that are rocky and small and then we have the gas  giants also called the jovian planets and those   are very large and they're gaseous they don't have  a solid surface in which to land on and then of   course we have dwarf planets so these are larger  bodies in the solar system but don't quite meet   these three criteria and then here is just another  picture I found that has more of the dwarf planets   that we have discovered as of late but when we're  talking about the visible planets that we can see   there are five main ones and i have them here in  order of size which would be Jupiter Saturn Venus   Mars and Mercury so this is size and diameter  of the actual planet but in terms of brightness   these are the ones that are the most visible. So  Venus is definitely the brightest out of all then   we have Mars Jupiter Saturn and Mercury but let's  actually put some numbers to this. So here is I   listed the magnitude for the planets that are the  most visible and I didn't include Uranus because   it is so faint and I really have zero pictures  of it and it really looks like a star in all   the pictures I have and these are somewhat you  know realistic of what you would see it as you   would look through it in a telescope. So Venus  is by far the brightest at negative 4.6 magnitude   and remember with magnitude when it's a lower  number it's a brighter object i've got a whole   video about magnitude so if you want to learn more  go see that. Mars would be the next brightest, but   it's also fairly similar in magnitude to Jupiter.  The way to tell the difference between them in the   sky is the color Mars is definitely a reddish  color where Jupiter is more of a whitish color.   Then there is Saturn and then Mercury and notice  how Mercury can have can be very bright but it   also can be invisible. Mercury to me is one of  the hardest planets to find and I can confidently   say that I've seen it maybe like once, but it's  often clouded by the um well it's clouded by the   clouds because it's only visible really close  to the horizon and often clouds just hide that.   So in our next portion of the video we'll walk  through general characteristics and then what   those objects look like in the sky. So we'll  begin with Mercury which is the first planet   from the sun and it's the smallest in the solar  system. Mercury gets its name after the Roman   God of the Messengers because it really raced  across the sky when the ancients observed it.   If we were to go there it would be a  very cratered surface, very moon like,   it has extreme temperatures it's cold on the side  facing away from the sun and very hot on the side   facing towards the sun and it has a very weak  tectonic activity. So when you're trying to find   Mercury in the sky it is very very difficult to  find it here what we're looking at is the moon.   We have Venus right here which is always the  brightest planet and then Mercury is right here   and I consider this a really good shot of Mercury.  Mercury is often only visible during sunset   or sunrise and it's very very close to the  horizon. Mercury can also be viewed in transit   when it travels across the sun and when this  happens astronomers definitely make a big deal   because it gives us an opportunity to see mercury  as it crosses the sun. Here I have another picture   of what Mercury would look like. Notice how it's  really close to the horizon and its sunset time   and it is very very faint. It can definitely be  mistaken for a star. I've got one other picture   here we have the moon up in this corner and are  you able to find mercury? There's only one really   point right here and that is what mercury would  look like in the sky. So if you can't find mercury   I wouldn't be too discouraged it's definitely  one of those planets that is a challenge to see.   Venus is the next planet that is definitely  visible. In fact it's the easiest one to find   out of all of them because of its brightness.  Venus is classified as earth's twin planet in   size but it couldn't be any more different in  terms of environment. Venus is named after the   Roman Goddess of Love and Beauty and as you look  at this photo notice that has it has really thick   cloud cover and that is made up made up of carbon  dioxide. Now this is a picture or um an animation   of the surface of Venus but we can't really see  that when we look at Venus we are looking at   its cloud cover. The carbon dioxide on this planet  traps the heat on the planet and it is continually   getting warmer and the heat is building. In  fact the atmosphere is so thick that it has 88   times the pressure of the atmosphere of earth. So  it's experiencing this runaway greenhouse effect.   We can see Venus as well as a transit and that's  when the planet is traveling in front of the Sun.   So whenever this happens it's also very exciting  for astronomers but what our purpose here is to   identify Venus in the sky and what are some  realistic views of what it would look like   and this is a really great photo again we have  the moon we have very bright Venus and notice it's   more of a disc like shape as well and then this is  mercury. Let's get a few more pictures of Venus.   In fact this is the one I have the most pictures  of but here we have the Pleiades and here is   Venus you can see how bright it is compared to the  Pleiades. Here's another photo we've got the moon   right here and look how bright Venus is when you  compare it to everything else in the sky, in fact   I don't really see many stars here and Venus is  best seen at sunrise or sunset. It's often called   the evening star or the morning star. Here we have  another great picture of the moon and this is how   bright Venus is which is incredible and then you  can see other stars here when you compare it.   Venus is just so much more brighter and  then i've got a few more photos to keep   keep giving you some practice here but here  we have the moon and then this right here is   Venus. How do I know? Well the moon is reflected  and maroon's light is reflected on on the water   here and then this is just so bright that it must  be Venus. I've got one more final photo for you   here we are looking at Taurus this is the Pleiades  star cluster and here is the v-shaped face called   the Heidi's star cluster and this here is Venus.  So this gives you a good idea of just how bright   Venus is and the time you want to look for it is  in the early evening or the early morning hours.   The next visible planet is Mars and this planet  gets a ton of press these days because of all the   amazing research opportunities that are happening  on this planet. But Mars is a planet that's half   the size of earth and it's the fourth planets  from the sun. Mars gets its name after the Roman   God of War. Because of its red color it it really  is a fascinating planet because it has very a lot   of similarities to earth, it has seasons, the tilt  is similar, but there's also a lot of differences.   Mars since it's half the size of the earth  it's not able to really hold an atmosphere   a heavy atmosphere like Earth. Its atmosphere  is mostly of carbon dioxide, but our point here   is not to explore the characteristics but what  does it look like in the sky. This is a picture   of what Mars would look like if you were able to  see it through a telescope and you can see it has   this reddish colors it has areas of darkness and  then it also you can see one of the ice caps. So   let's get some ideas of what Mars looks like  in the sky here we have this is definitely a   zoomed up picture of Mars because when you're  looking at Mars you're not really going to see   a disk like this you would really see a red point  of light but here we have a comet and this is the   planet Mars just to give you a comparison. Let's  get some more practice here Mars really stands out   it's right here notice how it's brighter than all  the other stars in the sky and it has that reddish   color. The next picture I want to show you is  really helpful because it shows you the brightness   of both Mars and Jupiter. So as you're looking  at this photo can you tell the difference between   Mars and Jupiter? I can because of the color  here is where Mars is it has a slightly reddish   color compared to this this object this is Jupiter  and Jupiter and Mars are very close in magnitude   but the colors are different. So that's the main  way you can tell the difference between the two.   Let's take a look at our next picture this  is actually one of my pictures it's not great   but I definitely know what I'm looking at because  I'm the one that took it. Here we have the   constellation Capricornus and Mars is right here.  So you can see Mars has that reddish color and it   outshines the other stars around it. Another  cool thing that we can observe with Mars is an   um occultation event and this is when one object  is hidden by another. So here we have the moon   and then here we have Mars that the moon was once  covering but then it appears. So if you ever get   to see one of those events through a telescope  it's really fascinating. Here we have another   picture okay this time we're looking at two  planets and can you tell the differences between   the two? We obviously can tell the moon is right  here but this is Venus and then this is Mars.   I love this photo because it gives you a good  comparison of the brightness between the two.   Venus will always be brighter than Mars. We've  got a few more pictures. So here what are we   looking at we're looking at the same thing we  looked at the last picture. We're looking at the   moon we're looking at Venus and we're looking at  Mars. can you tell the difference? Obviously the   moon is the larger one, Venus would be the next  brightest, and then here is Mars. It even has   that faint red color to it. Now we're moving on to  the gas giants, the ones that are at least visible   in the night sky and one of my favorites to learn  about is Jupiter. Jupiter is the largest planet   in our local solar system it's fifth from the Sun  and it was named after the Roman King of the Gods   and this is definitely a favorite target of many  telescope owners out there because when you look   at it you can see the bands and you can often  see the great red spot ,which is this gigantic   hurricane storm that's been going on Jupiter as  long as we have been observing it. Which is really   incredible because we've been looking at Jupiter  with the telescope as humans for over 400 years.   Jupiter is famous for its moons. The Galilean  moons and these are the four moons that Galileo   saw when he first turned his telescope  towards Jupiter. and if you were to look   at Jupiter with a telescope this is what it  would look like. Here you can see the bands   right here this is one view of what Jupiter would  look like and then here is another view okay here   is what Jupiter would look like and then these  are the four Galilean moons and these moons   change their position constantly as they're  going around Jupiter. Jere's another image   of what Jupiter would look like and then it's four  Galilean moons. It's really fascinating to see   so if you ever have the opportunity to look at  Jupiter through a telescope I encourage you to do   so. So let's get some practice with finding it in  the night sky. So here we're looking at a picture   of the winter sky. I can see taurus I can see the  pleiades I can see Auriga, but the brightest thing   right here that is Jupiter. So it gives you an  idea of how bright Jupiter is when you compare   it to other objects such as the Pleiades  the Heidi's this is the bright star Capella   this is the constellation Auriga. Let's get keep  getting some more practice here we're looking at   a beautiful picture of the northern lights. I can  see the Pleiades, but right here is where Jupiter   is. Notice the Heidi's star cluster right here and  then this bright star is the red eye of the bull,   Aldebaran. So I'm pointing this out so you  can see the comparison of the brightness.   Jupiter is definitely brighter. and then let's  keep going we've got some other pictures here   we've got the northern lights and that is Jupiter.  Again giving you a visual comparison of what stars   look like versus what Jupiter looks like. i've  got one more picture here okay this is one of   my favorite constellations. It is scorpius and it  makes this glorious hook-like shape in the sky we   have Antares the bright red star red giant  star inside of Scorpius. But right here is   Jupiter so again it's brighter than Antares it's  brighter than all the other stars in this photo.   So I hope this is helpful for you in order  to learn how to find Jupiter in the sky   the next gas giant star we'll take a look at is  Saturn which is famous for its rings. It's the   sixth planet from the Sun and it's named after the  Roman God of Agriculture and if you were to look   at Saturn through a telescope this is a realistic  view of what you may see here this is a slightly   grainy but a pretty basic telescope that you can  easily see Saturn with and here the pictures kind   of improve with quality, but there's nothing like  seeing the rings of Saturn through a telescope   for the first time, but we also want to get an  idea of what it looks like in the sky and how   to find it. So in this photo we're looking at a  photo right at sunset and there are three planets   that you can see here. First is Venus then we have  Mars and then this right here is Saturn. So this   gives you a visual comparison of the brightness.  Notice how mars has a slightly reddish tint to it,   Venus is always the brightest so it's the easiest  to point out, and then here is Saturn. I do think   it's easy it's pretty easy to confuse Saturn with  a star because it's just not as bright as Venus   Mars or Jupiter but it's definitely brighter than  Mercury, as we're going to see in this next photo.   So here we have the crescent moon this bright  object here is Venus and here is Saturn   Mercury also makes an appearance in this photo but  it's really hard to see it's right there. Mercury   is one that is very elusive for me I feel like  I've only confidently seen it once, but Saturn is   pretty easy to find um at the time of this filming  Saturn is very close to Jupiter so I usually try   to find Jupiter first and then from there I can  figure out where Saturn is. Saturn is also really   awesome to see through a telescope because it  does have a series of moons that surround it.   Titan which is the most interesting one and  scientists actually land a pro landed a probe   there which is fantastic and we found all kinds  of interesting atmospheres and lakes of methane so   uh I think I see foresee a future video with  titan for me but um I've got one more picture   of Saturn for you. This is an all occultation  event I struggle saying that word every time,   but here this is the surface of the moon  and then this is Saturn behind the moon. So   really really fascinating to see so we've talked  about the planets that are visible let's talk   about the ones that are not really visible and  starting with the seventh planet from the sun   and the third largest planet and the one that  everybody tries to avoid saying the name, which   is Uranus. There's a brilliant video that was made  I'm going to put the link down below about how to   pronounce this name and the story behind it i'm  not going to redo the greatness of that video. But   Uranus or Uranus as it's often called is  named after the Greek God of the Sky Uranus   and then this name here is the latinized  version of this greek name. So I've kind of   gone to start saying Uranus but really the point  of this video is to talk about how we can see it   or can we see it at all. The characteristics of  this planet are really fascinating. It does have a   ring system. It has a strong magnetosphere and it  has many moons just like the other jovian planet   it also happens to be the coldest planet in the  solar system but this one we'll get to a minute   is if we can see it or not it is very faint and it  is possible but highly unlikely you'll be able to   see this with the naked eye but let's quickly talk  about Neptune. Neptune is the third largest planet   in terms of mass but fourth largest planet in  terms of diameter. It's the eighth planet from the   sun and it's named after the Roman God of the Sea.  Some interesting characteristics about it include   having a thick windy atmosphere in fact some of  the fastest winds ever recorded have been on this   planet and it's mostly composed of water ammonia  and methane. It has very thin rings and it has a   very active atmosphere and many moons surrounding  it. So are we able to see these two objects   well yes and no Uranus is one that has the  apparent magnitude of 5.68. So it's right at   that naked eye limit so if you live in an area  with lots of light pollution there's basically   no way you're going to see this, but if you live  in an area that has very dark skies seeing this is   a possibility you would definitely need to look  and consult some star maps to figure out where   you should be looking. It's not going to stand  out like the other planets do but Neptune   is definitely invisible. It's below the naked  eye limit you would need magnification to see it   its apparent magnitude is 7.78 and I found this  interesting picture because it shows you all   the different moons that surround both of these  planets and I can't end a video of um the planets   without talking about Pluto because when I grew  up Pluto was a planet, but it's been demoted it is   now a dwarf planet because it pretty much has not  cleared out its orbital path of debris and Pluto   is named after the Roman God of the Underworld  and when I grew up there were no pictures of   Pluto and now they are now there are pictures and  it is magnificent but just to give you an idea of   why Pluto was demoted I thought this would be a  great picture to show you this gives you a size   comparison of Earth the moon and Pluto. So our  moon is bigger than Pluto so you can see why it   would be demoted in terms of its size and also the  fact it just has not cleared out its orbital path.   So as I said this was definitely a quick crash  course on all the planets in the solar system   and which ones you can view we are able to  view Mercury Venus Mars Jupiter and Saturn   with ease Uranus would definitely be difficult  to see I can't say that i've ever seen it with   the naked eye and Neptune is definitely not  visible. It was it was definitely invisible   to the ancients this was not discovered until  we started turning telescopes to the sky.   So I really hope this video was helpful  for you in order to how to find the planets   what are their comparisons in terms of brightness  and just some general appreciation of these really   really unique environments because it gives us a  sense of why earth is special okay because if we   would travel to any of these other planets we  wouldn't make it because earth has everything   we need to survive. So thanks so much for  watching remember it takes time patience   and practice to view the stars and the planets.  I would say the planets are confusing to look at   because their positions in the sky changes  so much when you compare it to the stars.   The stars have very predictable motions  whereas the planets are in different places   throughout the year so thank you so much  for watching and as always keep looking up

Channel: Learn the Sky

Views: 391,849

Keywords: how to find planets in the sky, how to find the planets, how to find the planets in the night sky, how to identify planets in night sky, how to spot planets in the night sky, jupiter, learn the sky planets, mars, mars planet, mercury, neptune, planet (celestial object category), planet in the sky, planets, planets in sky, planets in the night sky, planets in the sky, planets of the solar sytem, pluto, saturn, saturn planet, solar system planets, uranus, venus, viewing the planets

Id: rMQ5Yc6pJak

Length: 24min 51sec (1491 seconds)

Published: Sat Jan 08 2022