Download Planets In The Night Sky

Planets Visible With the
Naked Eye
By Jennica Bringhurst
Introduction
I will be discussing three main points about the
planets in the night sky.
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How to identify the planets from the stars
The appearance of the planets in the night sky
The visibility of the planets in 2012
Identifying the Planets from the
Stars
Planets and Stars
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Apparition and Opposition
The Planets positions
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changes
Planets brightness varies
and they shine with a
more steady light then the 
stars .
Plants do not produce
any light of their own.
Stars are so distant they
appear to twinkle
Stars generate their own
light.
Apparition -The period of
time during which any
given planet can be seen
Opposition- is when one
celestial body is on the
opposite side of the sky
when viewed from a
particular place
Mercury
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Apparent Magnitude:
-1.9 to +3.8
More difficult to spot than the other bright planets
Best seen in March and April evenings and September
and October mornings.
White in color and can take on a somewhat pinkish hue
Twinkles more readily
Venus
Apparent Magnitude:
-4.7 to -3.5
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Easiest planet to see with the naked eye
Cycle of alternating morning and evening
appearances
Mars
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Apparent Magnitude:
-2.9 to +1.8
Popularly called the red planet
Distance from Earth varies considerably
Mars can clearly be seen in twilight for about six weeks
Star map showing
the path
of Mars through
Gemini, Cancer, Leo
and Virgo from
September 2011 to
August 2012
Jupiter
Apparent Magnitude:
-2.9 to -1.6
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Appears bright white
Can be seen in twilight
Largest of the solar system planets, but is not the
brightest when seen from earth .
Star
map showing
the path
of Jupiter
through Pisces,
Aries, Taurus
and Gemini
from May 2011
to July 2014
Saturn
Apparent Magnitude:
At opposition -0.5 (rings open) to
+0.9 (rings edge-on)
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Appears pale yellow
The rings contribute to its brightness.
You can see Saturn moon Titan with binoculars.
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Star
map showing
the path
of Saturn thro
ugh Leo and
Virgo from
September
2006 to
December
2013
Uranus
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Apparent Magnitude:
+5.5 (average at opposition)
Star map showing the
positions of Uranus from
Aquarius through Pisces
between 2006 and 2019
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Uranus is barley visible to
the naked eye when at its
brightest, but there has to be
no light pollution to see this
planet.
It is the most distant planet
visible to the naked eye.
Visibility of the Planets in 2012
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Dawn- the planet is visible in the eastern
sky for an hour or so before sunrise
Dusk- the planet is visible in the western
sky for an hour or so after sunset.
Mor- the planet is best seen in the
morning sky.
•
Eve- the planet is best
seen in the evening sky.
• AN- the planet is visible all
night.
• - The planet is too close to
the sun and is not visible
Conclusion
Position of the planets in
the Constellations
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I hope this information
has given you a better
understanding of the
night sky. Perhaps the
next time you are outside
with a group of people
you can look up at the
night sky and impress
whoever you are with
teaching them about the
naked eye planets.
The End
Work Cited
•
Powell, Martin J. "The Naked Eye Planets." n.d.
<http://www.nakedeyeplanets.com/>.