Planets Visible Tonight

How this works

This tool computes the real position of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn using standard low-precision planetary orbital elements the same class of formulas used in planetarium software. For your chosen date, time, latitude, and longitude, it calculates each planet's altitude (how high above the horizon it is) and azimuth (which compass direction it's in), entirely in your browser.

Reading your results

Good position means the planet is more than 10 above the horizon a solid viewing angle. Low on horizon means it's up, but close to the horizon, where trees, buildings, and haze are more likely to block it. Below horizon means it hasn't risen yet, or has already set, for your chosen time.

Why visible planets change from night to night

Every planet, including Earth, orbits the Sun at a different speed and distance, so the angle between Earth, the Sun, and any other planet is constantly shifting. Mercury and Venus, both closer to the Sun than Earth, are only ever visible shortly after sunset or before sunrise since they never stray far from the Sun in the sky. Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn can appear anywhere along the ecliptic and are sometimes visible for most of the night, depending on where Earth is in its own orbit relative to them.

General stargazing tips

Get away from bright artificial light if you can even suburban light pollution washes out fainter planets like Mercury and Saturn. Give your eyes at least 15 minutes to adjust to the dark. Planets don't twinkle the way stars do, since they appear as tiny disks rather than true points of light one easy way to tell a bright planet apart from a bright star once you're out looking. A cheap pair of binoculars is enough to reveal Jupiter's four largest moons or Saturn's rings as an elongated shape.

FAQ

How accurate is this calculator?
It uses standard low-precision planetary orbital formulas, the same class of math used in planetarium software, accurate to a fraction of a degree more than enough to tell you whether a planet is above your horizon and roughly where to look, though not observatory-grade precision.

It says a planet is up, but I can't see it. Why?
The sun needs to be well below the horizon first planets are washed out by daylight or twilight. A planet low on the horizon can also be blocked by trees, buildings, or haze, and city light pollution can hide fainter planets like Mercury, Saturn, or Mars.

What orbital data does this actually calculate?
This tool computes each planet's real heliocentric position from its Keplerian orbital elements the same six numbers, like semi-major axis, eccentricity, and inclination, that describe any orbit solves Kepler's equation for its position at your chosen moment, then converts that into an altitude and compass direction from your location. It's genuinely computed, not looked up from a pre-built table.

Why doesn't this tool include Uranus or Neptune?
Both are technically visible with binoculars or a small telescope under dark skies, but neither is bright enough to be a realistic naked-eye target for most viewers, so this tool focuses on the five classical planets that have been observed without instruments since antiquity: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.

Does this account for daylight saving time?
Yes it uses whatever date and time you enter along with your device's understanding of your local time zone offset, so make sure your system clock and time zone are set correctly for accurate results.