Saturday STEM Challenge: Finding Planets in the Sky
We’re spending this week looking at the planets…
Image via NASA
…and this week’s Saturday STEM challenge is about just that: looking at the planets!
For as long as people have been on Earth, they have been observing the night sky. Since ancient times, humans have known about and tracked the five brightest planets as seen from Earth: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. These planets are visible to the naked eye at various times throughout the year, although you usually won’t see all the planets in one night.
This week, we’re challenging you to make like ancient civilizations and watch the sky. Using the information and tools below, try to track the planets. Since the sky never looks the same two nights in a row, you can try this challenge for as long as you want, trying to see as many different planets as you can.
What do the planets look like?
The planets look a lot like stars in the night sky. But since the planets are so much closer than stars, they appear a little bigger and brighter. You can also identify the planets by their color. Venus and Jupiter are both a bright white, Saturn is a pale yellow, Mars is a distinctive orange-red, and Mercury is a pale pink due to its low altitude.
Planets can also be identified by their movement. While the stars appear to move all together, the planets seem to have own path on the background of stars. So if you see a bright dot move from one constellation to another, you’re probably looking at a planet.
Since the planets can look so similar to stars, the most helpful information to have is where to look in the sky. A star and planet chart is a valuable resource. Click HERE for an interactive sky chart that you can set for your zip code.
To get a even better idea of what to look for, take a look at the below photos of planets in the night sky. Hover over the pictures with your cursor for more information on what you’re looking at.
