Summer Planets - Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars, Oh My!

This a great summer for planet watching. Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn are all easy to spot after sunset. It will be fun to watch as they subtly move against the background stars. 

Look for Jupiter high in the southwest as soon as the Sun sets. It is incredibly bright - impossible to miss! If you find it, look nearby for the backwards question mark shape of Leo the Lion.

Jupiter is super bright, high in the southwest at sunset. Can you see Leo?

You can also easily see Mars and Saturn by 9:30 at night, low in the southeast. If you have buildings or trees in the way, they will be higher in the sky and easier to see by 10:30.

Mars and Saturn are also easy to see in the southeast at sunset. Mars is almost as bright as Jupiter right now.

You probably heard about the opposition of Mars, both on this blog and social media. It is always great to see astronomy stories get picked up by the news. Mars is still very bright because our planets are relatively close together. It is clearly a different color than the surrounding objects - an orangish-red. 

Saturn was at opposition on June 2, which means it rose at sunset and was visible all night. It is not nearly as bright as Jupiter, because it is smaller and farther away, nor as bright as Mars, because Mars is much closer.

All three visible planets right now, captured by a 1 meter telescope. Image Credit: JL. Dauvergne, E. Kraaikamp, F. Colas / S2P / IMCCE / OMP

As the summer progresses, the planets will stay visible in our sky, but will appear to be moving towards the west as the Earth orbits the Sun. 

In a month, Jupiter will be fairly low in the west at 9:30 at night, and will set by 11:30.

Jupiter in the west at 9:30, in early July.

Mars and Saturn will be visible most of the night in July and will be higher in the south at 9:30 PM. 

Mars and Saturn in the South at 9:30 at night, in early July.

By early August, Jupiter will be getting more difficult to see. You'll have to catch it just after sunset in the west, around 9 PM, or look at it up close on the Juno website! It will set shortly after the Sun.

Jupiter will be a challenge to spot before it sets in early August.

Mars and Saturn will still be easy to see at 9:30 PM in early August, just a bit more west of where they were in July. 

Mars and Saturn, still easy to see in August.

It can be fun to watch the planets slowly wander against the backdrop of the fixed stars. Mars is moving in retrograde motion right now, but by July it will start appearing to move toward the east against the stars in Scorpius again. For more on retrograde motion, read this post. 

Jupiter is slowly moving out of Leo. Next summer it will appear in the constellation of Virgo the Maiden. Since Jupiter takes about 12 years to orbit the Sun, it takes it roughly one year to move through one of the zodiac constellations (the constellations the Sun and planets appear to move through in our sky).  You will be able to see the bright star Spica nearby.

Jupiter in Virgo, summer of 2017.

Have fun watching the planets this summer! Remember, you can always learn what's happening in the sky and get the latest news from space at the Dome Planetarium at the Peoria Riverfront Museum. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for daily updates!  

Start your summer off with beer and trivia in the Dome!