Planet finder

Identify Planets in Tonight’s Sky

Planets move against the background stars. Use these guides to understand what to look for, then open AR for sky orientation.

Start Sky AR Visible tonight

Planet pages explain appearance, visibility, and safety before users open the AR finder.

Planet guides

Learn how bright planets appear and when a current star map is most useful.

Visible planets tonight

Start here if you are trying to identify a bright planet near the Moon or horizon.

Learn visible planets tonight

Mercury

Mercury is the hardest bright planet to catch because it never appears far from the Sun. The best chances are short windows low in twilight.

Read Mercury guide

Venus

Venus is often the brightest planet visible from Earth. It appears near sunrise or sunset rather than in the middle of the night.

Read Venus guide

Mars

Mars can appear orange-red, but its brightness changes dramatically depending on where Earth and Mars are in their orbits.

Read Mars guide

Jupiter

Jupiter is one of the brightest planets and can dominate the night sky when well placed.

Read Jupiter guide

Jupiter search traffic is already reaching NightSky AR. This guide answers the practical question: where to look for Jupiter tonight, how to tell it from a star, and when the AR viewer can confirm the direction from your location.

Read Jupiter Tonight guide

Saturn

Saturn is usually dimmer than Venus or Jupiter but still visible to the unaided eye when well placed. It appears as a steady yellowish point.

Read Saturn guide

Uranus

Uranus is near the limit of naked-eye visibility under very dark skies. Most observers need binoculars and a precise sky map.

Read Uranus guide

Neptune

Neptune is too faint for naked-eye observing. It requires binoculars or a telescope, plus a reliable chart to separate it from stars.

Read Neptune guide

How planet visibility changes

Planets move against the background stars and can switch between evening visibility, morning visibility, and periods hidden in Sun glare.

A page that was correct last month can be wrong if it does not calculate the current date. NightSky AR keeps planet positions dynamic in the browser and provides evergreen observing guidance for each planet.

For naked-eye observing, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are the main practical targets. Uranus and Neptune are included for completeness and telescope planning.

How to use planet pages with AR

Each planet guide can open the AR viewer with that planet selected, which reduces clutter and helps you compare one marker with the real sky.

If you are not sure which object you saw, start from the visible planets page. If you already know the target, use the individual planet page so the AR filter opens with that object selected.

Frequently asked questions

Short answers for common skywatching questions before opening the AR viewer.

Which planets are included?

The guides cover Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, matching the planets calculated by the AR overlay.

Why are not all planets visible every night?

A planet may be below your horizon, too close to the Sun, or too faint for naked-eye viewing from your location.

How do I tell a planet from a star?

Bright planets often shine steadily and move slowly against constellations from night to night, while stars keep fixed patterns.

Open AR to identify a planet

Compare the sky overlay with bright objects near the Moon, horizon, or nearby constellations.

Start Sky AR