The stars, the Moon and meteorites are not the only elements that shine in the night sky. There are also planets that are visible from Earth and several of them can even be seen without the need for a telescope, although to identify them you have to know where to look.

We explain to you what planets you can see, how to identify them and how to distinguish planets from stars.

What planets can be seen from Earth?

Earth shares the Solar System with 7 other planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune; and 5 dwarf planets: Pluto (previously considered a planet, but today classified as a dwarf planet), Ceres, Haumea, Makemake and Eris.

Five of the Solar System’s planets shine bright enough in our night sky so that we can see them with the naked eye, without the need for a telescope, and the best times to do so are, generally, just after sunset or before sunrise.

Planets seen with the naked eye

These are the five planets that can be seen from Earth with the naked eye (ordered by their proximity to the sun):

• Mercury: is, perhaps, the hardest to seebeing the closest planet to the Sun. Its low altitude and the glare of the rising or setting sun can make it difficult to distinguish, although the best time is usually just before dawn. It has a bright whitish or yellowish color.
• Venus: You are known for being the brightest planet we can see in the night sky. Its color is bright silvery white and is usually most visible shortly after sunset. Hence it is known as ««the evening star» or «evening star» (although it is also called «morning star» or «morning star» when it is visible at dawn).
• Mars: Although it is known as the «red planet», it is actually rust orange. It can be seen from dusk to dawn, but Its optimal visibility is around midnight. However, it may not be visible during certain periods.
• Jupiter: The largest planet in our Solar System appears light brown. It is visible most of the night and can often be seen in the sky at dusk.
• Saturn: yellowish brown in color, it is also usually visible during most of the night. To see its characteristic rings you will need a telescope.

Although not necessary, using binoculars or a telescope will greatly improve observation and identification and will help you see very interesting details.

Remember that both the planets and the Earth orbit the Sun, so Its position in the sky will vary throughout the year and from one year to the next.. Additionally, it is very possible that you will not be able to see all five planets at the same time or in one night. There are various digital resources that, by entering where you are, will tell you where to look for the planets each night, such as Time and Date or Stellarium.

Other planets that are more difficult to see

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There are others planets or dwarf planets that are smaller or more distant from the Earth and cannot be seen with the naked eye, although they can be seen with binoculars or a small telescope:

• Uranus: can be seen with binoculars and appears as a small point of light.
• Neptune: can be seen with a simple telescope like a small, faint blue dot.

For others, it is necessary to use a larger telescope, such as Pluto (due to its poor sharpness), Ceres, Haumea, Makemake or Eris.

What are planetary alignments?

Planetary alignments occur when, from Earth, we see several planets appearing together in the sky. It doesn’t mean that they form a perfect straight line, but rather that they appear together near one side of the Sun or in a small sector of the sky.

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It is considered that there is a planetary alignment when a minimum of 3 planets participate. When 5 or 6 align, we talk about a great alignment. And when the 7 planets of the Solar System align, it is a complete alignment.

The complete lineups They are rare. The last one was the February 28, 2025 and the next great planetary alignment that we can enjoy will be just one year later, the February 28, 2026but it will not be complete. Six planets (Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune) will parade together in our celestial vault.

Keys to keep in mind to see the planets

To see the planets (or any other celestial body) well in the night sky it is important to go to a place where there are no tall buildings or trees blocking the sky and that there is no light pollutionas well as choosing a day on let the sky be clear.

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Once the environmental conditions are correct, how can you distinguish a planet from a star? There are several important keys to keep in mind:

• The planets don’t blink and the stars do. This is because stars are much further from Earth than planets, so their beam of light is more affected when passing through our atmosphere than that of the planets, and it is our air that causes the flickering.
• The brightness of the planets varies. The planets, like the Earth, orbit around the Sun. This means that sometimes they are further away and sometimes closer to us and we see them differently. Depending on their distance from the Earth, we will see them brighter or darker in the sky. In the case of Jupiter and Saturn the change is not very large, because they are too far from Earth for their brightness to be affected. However, other planets, like Mars, can change quite a bit to our eyes from one year to the next.
• The planets are different colors: As we have mentioned before in the description of each planet, one of the main characteristics of each of the planets is its distinctive color.

Lunar conjunctions are a great opportunity

Various conjunctions occur every month between the Moon and the different planets. This means that the planets are seen close to the Moon in the sky, which It can be a great help when identifying the planets. If you know that there is going to be a conjunction between the Moon and a planet on a certain night, you will only need to look towards the Moon and look for the brightest point around it that does not tinkle.

Sometimes when a conjunction occurs, The Moon can even hide the planetwhat is known as planetary occultationand in addition to the interest that these occultations may have in themselves, they can also help you identify the planet. planetary occultations They are not so frequent like lunar conjunctions. They can occur several times a year, usually with the same planet being hidden for successive months, but they are not seen from the entire Earth, but from some places, so To see them you need to be in the right place and that doesn’t happen that often.