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Observing the Planets - Introduction
Home » Astronomy » Observing the Planets » Observing the Planets - IntroductionAn important lesson we’ve learned is the location of the ecliptic plane—the imaginary path the Sun and Moon takes across the sky. This is the same path the planets in our solar system share, making them viewable from Earth.
We can observe the planets with our eyes, binoculars, or a telescope. Remember the great “race track” of the ecliptic plane means sometimes the inner planets may hide in front of—or behind—the Sun. The same is true of watching the outer planets. There’s times when Earth is behind the Sun and we cannot see them, or they may be located in a place along the ecliptic plane during daylight hours.
The planets are viewable during many different times of the year. There are many on-line resources that can tell you when and where they will appear, as well as many periodicals which chart the planets’ paths.
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