How to See the Planets Tonight: Tips For Beginners (No Telescope Needed)
Tonight, you can spot five planets with just your eyes — Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, and, if you’re lucky, Mercury. Here is your complete guide on how to find them without special equipment from anywhere (including a light-polluted city). To locate each planet in just several taps, download the Star Walk 2 free app!
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Planet — from Greek πλανήτης “wanderer” and Latin planetae “wanderers” — named for its wandering path across the sky.
How to find & identify planets in the sky
Most novice astronomers believe that astronomy is an expensive hobby requiring a fancy telescope. But the irony is that beginner-level astronomy is not only inexpensive but actually free.
Most planets are bright enough to spot with the naked eye, even from a city center. Equipment only deepens your experience; it’s not required to recognize the dots in the sky. In the next few minutes, you’ll learn exactly how to find Solar System planets tonight — no gear needed.
Look for the brightest and biggest dots in the sky
Venus and Jupiter are the brightest dots in the sky, easily visible to the naked eye; Mars sometimes outshines stars, too. Furthermore, planets appear larger than stars in the sky, even though stars are way bigger in reality. Stars just look smaller because they’re much farther away.
So it’s simple — the most outstanding bright dot in the sky is most likely a planet.
Astronomers use a magnitude scale to measure an object’s apparent brightness. On this scale, brighter objects have lower or even negative numbers. For example:
- Sun: mag -26.5
- Full Moon: mag -12.6
- Venus: mag -4.3 (brightest planet)
- Jupiter: mag -2.7 (second-brightest planet)
- Sirius: mag -1.44 (brightest night-sky star)
Average magnitudes for other planets:
- Mercury: 0.2
- Mars: 0.7
- Saturn: 0.5
- Uranus: 5.7 (usually requires binoculars)
- Neptune: 7.8 (requires binoculars or telescope)
Unlike stars, the brightness of planets changes depending on their position relative to Earth and the Sun.
If it twinkles, it’s not a planet
Earth’s turbulent atmosphere makes distant starlight shimmer and twinkle, whereas planets — being much closer — shine with a steady light. So, a bright non-twinkling point in the sky near the ecliptic is almost certainly a planet.
For the full explanation of why stars twinkle, see our detailed article.
Look for planets near the Moon
One of the easiest ways to locate a planet is to use a bright guide that everyone can easily find in the sky — the Moon. Each month, planets pass close to our natural satellite in the sky — astronomers call this a close approach. So, a bright, not twinkling “star” near the Moon is most likely a planet!
To learn when a planet passes near the Moon the next time, check our regularly updated article.
Aim for planetary pairings or planetary alignments
From time to time, planets appear very close together in the sky. A bright planet can become your guide to a fainter one, like when Venus passes close to Uranus. But when both planets are bright, it becomes a spectacular sight to the naked eye. The next impressive pairing will be on August 12, 2025, when the two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter, shine side-by-side before sunrise.
Even more striking are planetary alignments, which happen when three or more planets cluster together in the same part of the sky. Alignments offer a great opportunity to see several planets at once. Luckily, in August 2025, a rare alignment of six planets will be visible in the morning sky — a perfect time to practice your planet-spotting skills!
To find planets, look along the Sun’s path
All planets roughly follow the same path the Sun takes across the sky each day — it’s represented by ecliptic.
Here's how to easily find it:
- Observe where the Sun rises, moves during the day, and sets.
- Use your imagination to connect these points to form an imaginary line.
At night, look along this line — planets always appear close to it. Mercury and Venus always stay relatively close to the Sun in the sky, so you can find them near sunrise or sunset (we’ll explain why later in the section dedicated to the planets).
Important: Never look directly at the Sun — it can permanently damage your eyes!
Remember, the ecliptic shifts during the year, appearing higher in summer and lower in winter.
Planets are “wanderers”
Another way to confirm whether you are looking at a planet or a star is to observe its position over several successive nights. You’ll see how the positions of the planets change relative to the backdrop of the fixed stars from night to night.
Use an interactive star map
After you’ve practiced spotting planets on your own, an app can confirm your finds. The free Star Walk 2 features a Planet Walk mode that highlights every planet and makes it easier to distinguish them from stars. Simply open Settings, choose Planets, then tap Planet Walk. You’ll get a live map with every planet highlighted, plus a bottom panel that lets you jump straight to each planet.
If you’d like alternatives, try Night Sky, Sky Safari, or Stellarium. Some apps are entirely free, others require payment upfront, and many offer extra features via in-app purchases. For a quick comparison of what each app offers at no charge, see our article about Top Astronomy Apps 2025.
Planet-by-planet observing tips
Position of planets in the sky in August 2025
Here is the visibility of planets in August 2025. Want to know where to find planets at any given time from your location? Use the free Star Walk 2 app.
- Mercury (Cancer): visible in the morning sky after mid-month, low above the eastern to northeastern horizon before sunrise. It brightens rapidly from magnitude 5.4 to -1.2 by month’s end, making it easier to spot as August progresses.
- Venus (Gemini, Cancer): The brilliant “Morning Star” remains a highlight in the northeastern sky. In telescopes, Venus shows a gibbous phase. Venus shines steadily between magnitudes -4.0 and -3.9.
- Mars (Virgo): Faint but still visible, Mars appears low in the western evening sky in the north and higher in the northwest in the south. It can be seen without optical aid at magnitude 1.6, best viewed shortly after sunset.
- Jupiter (Gemini): Bright in the morning sky at magnitude -1.9 to -2.0. Positioned well for telescope observations, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, where it’s higher above the horizon.
- Saturn (Pisces): Moves in retrograde direction and is visible from midnight early in the month, shifting to all-night visibility by month’s end. Saturn brightens slightly from magnitude 0.8 to 0.7.
- Uranus (Taurus): Rising earlier each day in the eastern morning sky, and later visible at night. Too dim for the naked eye, it requires binoculars or a telescope. Magnitude improves slightly from 5.8 to 5.7.
- Neptune (Pisces): Also moves in a retrograde direction. Visible from midnight early in the month and all night later on. Only detectable with a telescope or strong binoculars, maintaining a magnitude of 7.8.
Read the detailed explanation about the planets' visibility this month in our sky guide.
Mercury: the elusive planet
Mercury is an inner planet that orbits closer to the Sun than the Earth. This means that in our sky, this planet is never far from the Sun; the maximum distance between them ranges from 18° to 28°. In astronomy, this is called a greatest elongation, and it’s the best time for viewing inner planets. In one year, Mercury reaches a greatest elongation only about six times.
To find Mercury, look low on the western horizon just after sunset or low in the east just before sunrise. How to learn if it’s visible in the morning or in the evening tonight (or not visible at all)? The free Star Walk 2 app shows the daily visibility of the planet.
Begin observing as soon as Mercury appears; follow it through its peak separation; and watch until it slips back into the Sun’s glare. You’ll have a short observation window — probably about 30 minutes (depends on your latitude and time of the year). A small telescope will reveal Mercury’s tiny disk and its phases — just be sure the Sun has fully set before aiming your optics.
Mercury is often overlooked, but it’s one of the most surprising planets in the Solar System. Take the quiz and see how much you really know about this mysterious small planet!
Venus: the evening and morning star
Venus is the most spectacular planet you can see with the naked eye. Blanketed by highly reflective clouds, Venus appears exceptionally bright in our sky, visible even in daytime around its peak brightness.
By the way, like the Moon, Venus goes through phases, and reaches its peak brightnes around the crescent phase. This is because in this phase Venus is much closer to Earth than at other times and reflects more sunlight our way. You can see phases of Venus through binoculars (typically 10x50 or with higher magnification).
Like Mercury, Venus is an inner planet and also never appears very far from the Sun in our sky. For comparison, Mercury's maximum apparent distance from the Sun is about 28°, Venus's is 48°, and Jupiter's (as well as other outer planets') is 180°.
Venus is the brightest planet in the sky. When it appears close to the Moon — the brightest object in the night sky — they create a stunning sight, even in light-polluted city skies. To find the next Moon-Venus pairing, see our regularly updated article.
Because Venus is so brilliant, many people mistake it for an airplane — or even a UFO. However, people in general have a rich imagination and often mistake many objects for aliens. Check out our infographic to see some man-made objects that have been mistaken for UFOs!
Mars: the red planet
Mars’ rusty glow makes it hard to miss — even from a brightly lit city. Its apparent brightness changes with its position in the Solar System, peaking at opposition, which occurs roughly every 27 months when Earth lies directly between Mars and the Sun.
At its next opposition on February 20, 2027, Mars will reach its peak brightness and largest apparent size. By July 2027, it will fade by six times and "shrink" to about one-third of its size in February!
With binoculars mounted on a tripod, you’ll see a small, round orange disk. A telescope will reveal surface details, most notably the white polar caps. Unlike inner planets, Mars never displays phases because it orbits outside Earth’s path.
By the way, you might want to take a closer look at Mars. Of all the planets, it’s considered the best suited for colonization. Take our quiz to find out how much you know about the planet where your descendants might live!
Jupiter: the largest planet with visible moons
Jupiter is the biggest planet in our Solar System and one of the brightest objects in the night sky. After Venus, it usually ranks second-brightest planet — once Venus sets, Jupiter becomes the brightest one, making it easy to spot with the naked eye, binoculars, or a small telescope. Unlike Mars, its brightness does not change dramatically over the course of a year. Jupiter will reach its peak brightness at the end of 2025 as it approaches opposition with the Sun on January 10, 2026. Around that time, Jupiter will also reach its maximum apparent size (47") in the sky. This is the best time to see Jupiter! The next time the planet will reach opposition is on February 11, 2027.
Even a small telescope lets you feel like Galileo Galilei as you observe Jupiter and its four largest satellites — Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto — known as the Galilean moons. Under clear, dark skies, binoculars can also reveal one or two of these moons, which shift position nightly. To locate them on any given evening, try the Star Walk 2 app (requires an in-app purchase for this object type) or the Sky Tonight app, where all space objects are available for free.
In the Northern Hemisphere, Jupiter can sometimes be mistaken for Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. From December to March, Sirius rises particularly high in the sky, so it’s no surprise that some confuse these two bright dots. But don’t make the same mistake and remember: stars twinkle and planets do not! Besides, Sirius lies far from the ecliptic.
If you were hoping to see the famous Great Red Spot — a vast storm on Jupiter — we might disappoint you. You’ll need 150–200× magnification and exceptionally steady, transparent viewing conditions.
As you know, Jupiter is the largest planet in our Solar System. But just how big is it? How many Earths would fit inside this gas giant? Take our quiz and find out!
Saturn: the golden king of the rings and moons
Saturn, the fifth-brightest planet in our sky, glows with a distinctive yellow-gold hue that makes it a standout even before you use a telescope. To find it, follow the Sun’s path along the ecliptic and look for a steady point of light — fainter than Venus or Jupiter but rivaling Sirius in brilliance.
With any small telescope, Saturn’s famous rings are unmistakable. Even at low magnification, you’ll see the broad banding of the rings and the dark Cassini Division. When Saturn reaches quadrature — when it’s 90° from the Sun — you can even spot the planet’s shadow cast onto its rings.
Through a telescope, you can also glimpse Titan, Saturn’s brightest moon. With larger apertures, additional moons — Rhea, Dione, Tethys, and Enceladus — come into view, each appearing as tiny, steady points of light close to the planet.
We think that the true king of the rings and moons hides many secrets that you definitely don't know yet. Take this quiz to prove us wrong!
Uranus: a pale blue dot
Uranus is extremely faint, and spotting it without a telescope is virtually impossible. Even through a small telescope, it appears as a tiny, pale blue circle that blends into the background stars. To distinguish it with the naked eye, you need dark skies — Bortle 5 or darker — and precise coordinates.
The most convenient way to hunt Uranus is when it lies near a bright reference object, like the Moon or Venus. Keep in mind, though, that the nearby Moon can easily outshine Uranus’s faint glow.
Most amateur telescopes cannot resolve Uranus’s rings or surface details. However, medium to large instruments may reveal the planet’s two largest moons — Titania and Oberon — as faint, separate points of light.
Neptune: the farthest planet from the Sun
Neptune is the most challenging planet to observe. You need binoculars or a telescope, as well as a bright guide, such as Venus, to locate it. When Neptune is close to a well-known object, you can use it to spot Neptune as a small, pale dot (obviously, you will need binoculars). Its rings and surface details are beyond the reach of amateurs. You can distinguish its color with binoculars if you have keen eyesight, or with an amateur telescope. With a medium-to-large telescope and excellent viewing conditions, you may be able to glimpse its largest moon, Triton, as a faint point of light.
Tips on how to see the planets: bottom line
You don't need expensive equipment to explore our Solar System — just step outside and look along the ecliptic for the brightest "dots" in the sky. Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars are easily visible to the naked eye, and Mercury's visibility depends on the time of day and your location. You can also use the Moon or the planets' pairings as a guide. Remember, planets shine with a steady light, unlike stars. For extra help, use the free Star Walk 2 app to instantly identify planets in real time.
