1
$\begingroup$

I can see Venus and Mars, what about the others?

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
5
  • 4
    $\begingroup$ This question does not show any research effort. $\endgroup$
    – PM 2Ring
    Nov 24, 2022 at 10:44
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ this is their research effort! :) $\endgroup$
    – Rabbi Kaii
    Nov 24, 2022 at 14:01
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ They've done enough research to know two fifths of the answer. $\endgroup$
    – Greg Miller
    Nov 24, 2022 at 23:28
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ Everyone missed one: Earth! $\endgroup$
    – JohnHoltz
    Nov 25, 2022 at 2:03
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ You forgot the obvious: Earth $\endgroup$
    – Nilay Ghosh
    Nov 25, 2022 at 3:18

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
6
$\begingroup$

The faintest we can see is magnitude +6.5

Here are the apparent magnitudes of planets at their brightest, I've boldened the ones that fall within visible range:

−4.92 planet Venus

−2.94 planet Jupiter

−2.94 planet Mars

−2.48 planet Mercury

−0.55 planet Saturn

+5.38 planet Uranus

+6.64 dwarf planet Ceres

+7.67 planet Neptune

+13.65 dwarf planet Pluto

Other dwarf planets are generally fainter than this.

Source: Wikipedia

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
3
  • 4
    $\begingroup$ Athough Mercury is bright, observing it by naked eye is pretty far from being easy :) Especially is you live far from equator. I live on 56 North and have seen Merqury only once. $\endgroup$
    – Heopps
    Nov 24, 2022 at 13:59
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @Heopps I agree since Mercury is so close to sun, it gets hidden under the sun's glare. $\endgroup$
    – Nilay Ghosh
    Nov 25, 2022 at 7:35
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @Heopps the main problem is living that far North of the equator. It's easier to see it on the other hemisphere, due to where Mercury's aphelion lies. $\endgroup$
    – Glorfindel
    Nov 27, 2022 at 18:58
5
$\begingroup$

In addition to Venus and Mars, one can easily see Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn with the naked eye. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn were known to the ancients. That's why they're called "planets" (which means wanderers) rather than stars. The outer planets were not discovered until the invention of the telescope.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
2
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ But nevertheless, Uranus is bright enough to be seen with the naked eye if you know where to look. $\endgroup$
    – ProfRob
    Nov 24, 2022 at 9:45
  • $\begingroup$ @ProfRob Still Uranus is very hard to detect and it needs an eagle eye. I am not sure if Uranus is the farthest object in Solar system that you can see with naked eyes, so I asked in a separate post: astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/51131/… $\endgroup$
    – Nilay Ghosh
    Nov 25, 2022 at 9:19

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .