
7
The Planets
The planets are our solar system companions. These range in size from the Moon size rocky
bodies to giant gas balls which could hold 1000 Earths. To find the planets requires some
information as to when they are visible. An astronomy magazine such as Sky at Night, Space, or
Astronomy, will give you the locations of the planets from month to month. Most people who have
looked up at night have probably seen some planets but did not realize it. A planet, when it is well
clear of the horizon will not twinkle as do the stars. They are resolved by the eye as tiny balls as
opposed to the stars which are infinitely small points of light. The easiest planets to view, when
they are visible, are Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Mercury is an object to
look for but it is usually below the horizon and often is a challenge to find. Pluto is too small for
most telescopes below 10" so do not worry about finding it at this time.
Each of the planets has its own interesting views. Venus is covered with clouds so all we see is an
extremely bright light, the brightest next to the Moon; however it’s like our Moon goes through
phases. In other words the planet surface will, as it travels around the Sun, appear to have
different amount of lit-up. This gives the planet varying crescent shapes, as if a bite were taken
out of it. Mars is the red planet. It is very noticeably red when rising above the horizon and stands
out like a beacon in the night sky. The apparent brightness of Mars varies as the planet orbits
around the sun so throughout its time being visible to us it will brighten and dim depending on how
our two planets are aligned relative to each other.
Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. It is the second brightest planet next to Venus.
Jupiter also has moons of which 4 are easily visible through a telescope. In fact as you watch
them throughout the evening you will see that they change their positions relative to each other
and to Jupiter. It is possible with careful planning to actually see one of the moons disappear
either in front of, or behind Jupiter as they travel around their planet. Another great feature of
Jupiter is the cloud belt pattern. Jupiter is alive with weather activity and the planet’s clouds have
formed in time into belts which are visible to telescopes, when the sky is clear.
Saturn, the second largest planet, is not as bright as Jupiter and its moons are not as visible
through small telescopes. However it has very large rings that encircle the planet which are
spectacular. The planet appears as a pale yellow, as do the rings but one can spend hours
looking at these. The major division in the rings, the Cassini division, is possible to see in a small
telescope if the viewing condition is steady.
Uranus and Neptune are the last of the solar system gas giants. They do not yield up spectacular
sights like Jupiter or Saturn, but they are part of our family and are rewarding to see as they can
be a challenge to find.
Beyond our solar system there lies a multitude of objects to be found. Galaxies, nebulae and star
clusters abound.
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