What planets are visible from Earth

Venus – the third brightest object in the sky after the Sun and moon, it is seen by every person who has ever considered the morning or evening sky. Venus is visible as a bright star appearing in the early evening after sunset or in the morning when the dawn is already visible. Some time this is the only visible naked eye star in the sky, the other stars in this light is not visible. Sometimes this planet can be seen even in the light of the day, when the sky the Sun is shining – this occurs most often in spring or summer, when Venus is above the horizon, than in autumn and winter.

Jupiter slightly inferior in brightness to Venus, but is also clearly visible. That bright yellow large star, which is especially well visible during the confrontation, that is, when the planet is closest to Earth. Jupiter appears almost immediately after dark, sometimes even in the twilight. Two hours after sunset the planet is most visible (besides the moon), because Venus does not Shine. And in the dead of night Jupiter rises high in the sky to the South. Jupiter is difficult to confuse with an ordinary star, he's too big and bright and stands out for its characteristic yellow color.

Pretty good visible from earth with the naked eye Mars, but also only during the confrontations, when the apparent size of this planet increases several times. It is particularly interesting to observe this planet during the so-called great opposition, which occurs every 17 years. Mars should be observed in good weather conditions. Planet all night moving across the sky. It is easily distinguished from other stars due to an orange or reddish hue.

Closest to Earth is mercury, but its size does not allow to see this planet better than the rest. However, mercury is quite bright, and when nothing prevents it from observation, it is visible to the naked eye. But it happens not so often, because the planet is too close to the Sun and hidden behind its bright rays. Time, when you can see mercury, very short for what it called "the elusive" planet. It is during times of so-called elongate when mercury is farthest from the Sun. In the spring it is visible half an hour after the Sun sets over the horizon, it is in the West, low. In the fall of the planet is visible during sunrise.

During the annual confrontations Saturn is sometimes seen even better than Jupiter, due to large rings, which also reflect sunlight. But to see the rings with the naked eye will not work, this will need a telescope. Saturn is visible from Earth as a luminous white point.