Question

3b - Planets of our Solar System

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Stars are far away. But never the less, planets like Jupiter look like they are in among the stars. Planets are in the foreground and stars are in the background.

Yes, that means you can go out and see planets in the night sky with just your eyes. You do not need a telescope.

So the question(s) are --- Can planets of our solar system be found in Ursa Major (the Big Dipper), or Orion. Why or why not? In which group of constellations do we see planets in the night sky? Can we see Jupiter in the night sky this summer?

Any other planets in the current night sky? What constellation are the in?

Answer 1

Astronomers officially recognize 88 constellations covering the entire sky in the northern and southern hemispheres.

Q1. Can planets of our solar system be found in Ursa Major (the Big Dipper), or Orion. Why or why not?

Answer: No planets should ever cross it as it is too high above the orbital plane- ursa major is mostly dominated by the "Big Dipper" which is made up of the stars Dubhe, Merak, Alkaid, Megrez, Alioth, Phecda and Mizar. As these stars are all 78-124 light years away , no planets that can be seen in ursa major.

Q2. In which group of constellations do we see planets in the night sky?

Answer: We can see planets in the night sky. Constellation are not really physical, they are made by humans imaginarily joining stars they appear in the sky. So even if a sun is part of the constellations and is in the solar system, the point remains that the other stars ”part” of the constellations are still not inside the solar system. Constellations visible in the night sky change throughout the year as the earth is orbiting the solar system so it is moving, and those constellations and their stars are also moving, and the galaxy is constantly expanding.

Q3. Can we see Jupiter in the night sky this summer?

Answer: Yes, we can see Jupiter is now visible in the night sky and will last even in summer.

Q4. Any other planets in the current night sky? What constellation are they in?

Answer: Jupiter and Mercury are glowing brightly in the current night sky. Venus is very bright in the southwest, (from the northern hemisphere), following the track of the sun. Saturn is easily visible below Leo after midnight. It's brighter than any star in the area. Uranus is a few degrees east of Venus and under good seeing conditions you can make it out with the naked eye.

The planets seen from earth, appear to move along a path known as the ecliptic, which is like a big circle around the earth. The ecliptic passes through all the zodiac constellations. The planets can be anywhere on the ecliptic in any of the zodiac constellations. The more distant planets such as Uranus and Neptune appear to move very slowly, Mercury and Venus move quickly and are always near the sun.