April 2018

March 2018

During the month of March 2018, the planets Venus and Mercury are the only planets that will be visible in the evening sky. (To see a closer view, click on the image.)

You'll need a clear view of the horizon, so if there are any buildings or trees in the way, you might not see them. After sunset, look for a bright "star" low above the western horizon. That's Venus! The faint star above it, is the planet Mercury.

November & December 2017, January & February 2018

Sadly, during the months of November & December 2017 and January & February 2018, no planets will be visible during the evening hours. In order to see any planets, you'll need to wake up before sunrise and look southeast, where Mars and Jupiter will be visible. In January and February, Saturn and Mercury will appear low on the eastern horizon, barely visible right before the sun rises.

August, September, October 2017

The planet Saturn is the only planet seen in evening skies during these months--it appears in the southwest after sunset--look for a bright star in the southwestern sky that does not twinkle--that's Saturn. During November 2017, it will appear to sink below the horizon, away from view, and won't return to Earth's evening skies until July 2018.

May, June, July 2017

During May, June, and July, the planet Jupiter will be the only planet visible after sunset. Look towards the south, and it will be the brightest "star" you see in the sky!

(Heads up: Saturn begins rising later in the evening this summer, and will be visible after sunset starting in August.)

November 2016 through March 2017

During the end of 2016 and beginning months of 2017, the planets Venus and Mars will be visible in the southwest after sunset:

Autumn 2016

If you're in the Northern Hemisphere, during the months of September and October, look to the south after sunset to find a triangle of bright "stars."  Two of those "stars" are actually planets:  Saturn and Mars. (The other one is a reddish-orange star called Antares.)  Mars will be on the left, with the slightly orange-pink hue, whereas Saturn will be on the right, with a slightly yellow-cream hue.

By November, Saturn will no longer be visible, but Mars will still be out.

(If you're in the Southern Hemisphere, look north to see the same thing.)

PS: If you have a very flat horizon toward the west, you might be able to see a *very* bright star low on the horizon in the minutes after sunset. That's the planet Venus!