Planets Visible Tonight in July 2024 | Complete Guide for all Users (2024)

You’ve looked up and seen one or two very bright ‘stars’ and wondered “what planet is visible tonight?” and landed on this page.

You’ve come to the right place!

We’re going to tell you, for each of the brightest planets, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, whether you can see them tonight and, if so, when and where to look for them.

Let’s jump in and discover what planets are visible right now.

(If you’re looking for information on this month’s moon, click here.)

Planets Visible Tonight – July 2024

The month of July brings us all of the planets, but some only just, and others only in the early hours of the morning.MercuryandVenusplay ball by being visible after sunset, especially later in the month.The restare all (early) morning planets, with onlySaturnreaching its highest mark during the hours of darkness.

All of the sky charts in this section are from SkySafari 6.

Mercury

Mercury puts on a pleasing display in the evening after sunset this month. You’ll still need a good view of the western horizon and the glow of the sun will be working hard to ruin the view, but the planet is pleasing bright, especially earlier in the month.

As July pushes on, so does Mercury’s journey around the sun and we’ll notice two competing phenomena in the eyepiece. As it travels towards us, the Mercurial disc increases in size – pushing from below six to over nine arcseconds across. At the same time, the small planet is coming to move between us and the sun and so we’ll see less of its disc illuminated. By the end of the month, only a quarter of its disc will be lit.

Venus

We could just about spy Venus in the last week of this month, but it’ll take dedication and offer little reward. August is when in will once more pull free of our central star and allow us to enjoy its brightness.

Mars

The Red Planet is becoming worth observing once again – the first time in a year or more that its disc has approached six arcseconds.

We’re still several months away from peak Mars viewing, but it’s only a few more weeks before we’ll be able to glimpse it before midnight. With its disc size steadily growing week by week until December, the best viewing of the year is still to come.

Jupiter

At the beginning of the month, Jupiter is a tricky proposition. By the end of July, it has almost chased down Mars and is offering us fabulous views of its rings and moons… but only if you’re prepared to be outside in the earlier hours of the morning.

Jupiter’s disc begins to grow once again this month, but so little that we won’t be able to tell at the eyepiece. What we should all get prepared for is the morning of 14th August, when Jupiter catches up with Mars and the two planets are less than half a degree apart in the morning sky.

Saturn

Saturn is far enough away that it doesn’t change much from our perspective no matter where it and Earth are in their respective journeys around the sun. Its disc grows marginally this month, resulting in it shining slightly brighter at the month’s end than at its start.

More significantly from our point of view, it’ll become a comfortable object to view in the evening from next month.

Times are based on CDT (GMT-5) but are approximately correct for local time in most of the northern hemisphere.

Introducing The Planets

There are eight official planets in our solar system (if you thought there were nine,read this). We live on one of them, which leaves seven for us tolook at in the night sky.

From the sun outwards, they are Mercury, Venus, [Earth], Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The first five of these (excluding Earth, of course) are known as the ‘visible planets’ because they’re bright enough to be easily seen in the night sky with the naked eye.

Each of these five planets looks wonderful through a telescope, with many different and dynamic features to try and observe.

If you’ve never seen the awesome sight of Jupiter’s cloud belts, Saturn’s rings, and Martian ice caps, then it’s time you checked out our reviews of the best telescopes to see the planets (opens in a new tab).

Seeing The Five Visible Planets in 2024

All 5 visible planets have great seeing at some point during this year, which you can see at a glance by scrolling down to the table below.

Before reading it though, it helps to understand why there are times when the planets are well placed for observing and others when they are not visible. Imagine the five planets split across two groups, the inferior and superior planets:

• Inferior Planets:Mercury and Venus lieinsideEarth’s orbit, closer to the Sun than we are
• Superior Planets:Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn lieoutsideEarth’s orbit, further from the Sun

The Best Time to See A Planet

The diagram below shows an idealized position of inferior planets (inner ring) and superior planets (outer ring) hitting conjunction, greatest elongation, and opposition with Earth (blue circle).

You can see that at both superior and inferior conjunctions the planet is in the same line of sight as the Sun, so we can’t see it in the sky; the Sun’s glare is too bright.

The best time to see superior planets is at opposition because they are directly opposite the sun but behind Earth (shown as a green ring in the diagram), which makes them visible in the sky all night long.

The best time to see inferior planets is at their Greatest Elongation.

When to See the Inferior Planets

Mercury and Venus orbit the Sun inside Earth’s orbit, which means a number of significant things:

• They orbit faster than Earth, so they change position in the sky quickly
• They present crescent phases to us like the Moon because we can see parts of the planets’ surfaces that are not facing the Sun
• The best time to see them is at ‘greatest elongation’, which is when they appear to be at their farthest from the sun as we see them.

The worst time to see the inferior planets is when they are inconjunction. This is the name given to the moment when Earth, the Sun, and the planet are all in a straight line.

There are two types of planetary conjunction, inferior and superior.

Superior conjunction is when the planet is on theopposite sideof the Sun from us, i.e. the sun is in between us and the planet. Inferior conjunctions are when the planet is in the middle, i.e. it sitsbetweenus and the sun. Only Venus and Mercury have inferior conjunctions from our perspective because we’re closer to the sun than the rest of the planets.

The inner planets are invisible to us at and near conjunctions because they are lost in the glare of the Sun.

The occasional exception to this is when an inferior conjunction happens and the planet is on the same plane as us and the sun. When that happens we see a spectaculartransitof Venus or Mercury across the face of the Sun.

Sadly, they are quite rare. To see Venus pass in front of the sun you need to be a young person, and ideally not even born yet becausethe next one is not until 2117. Fortunately, we all stand a better chance of seeing littleMercury cross the Sun’s disc but we still need to wait until 2032.

The best time to see Venus and Mercury is when they are at greatest elongation, shown inside the pink rings on the diagram below. At greatest elongation, these planets are as far from the Sun as they get in our sky.

That still normally means challenging viewing for Mercury because the tiny planet orbits so close to the sun that it’s rarely visible for more than an hour before sunrise or after sunset; we only see it inthe glow of dusk or dawn.

Venus orbits further out, so we do get to see it against the inky blackness of night, but it too sets or rises within a few hours of the Sun.

This brings us to the final point you need to be aware of as a planet hunter: at greatesteasternelongation, the planet is visible after sunset. At its greatestwesternelongation, we’ll see the planet in the morning, before sunrise.

When to See The Superior Planets

Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune all orbit further away from the Sun than our planet does. For this reason, these planets are called superior and they have a different character in the sky from the inferior Mercury and Venus:

• They take longer to complete an orbit of the Sun than Earth, which makes them appear to move only slowly across the night sky, i.e. they only move a short distance compared to the background constellations
• Being inside their orbit, we can only see the side facing the sun, so they are always a complete disc. i.e. we never see them in crescent form
• The best time to see the superior planets is at opposition

Just like Mercury and Venus, the superior planets also form [superior] conjunctions with Earth and the Sun. And, unsurprisingly, they too are invisible at this time because they are lost in the Sun’s glare.

The best time to see the outer planets of the solar system is at opposition. If you refer to the green circle in the diagram above, it’s easy to see why. Unlike the inferior planets, the outer planets never pass between Earth and the Sun. At opposition,wesit directly between them and the Sun. Think of it as having the Sun ‘behind’ us while the planet is ‘facing’ us.

This is an awesome time for planet-watching because a planet at opposition is visible all night long and highest in the sky (transiting) around midnight!

We get hours to see the planet high above the horizon during the hours of darkness. This often coincides with the planet’s closest approach to Earth too, offering even more spectacular views.

Which Planets Can I See in 2024?

For each of the five visible planets, the table below shows when it will be visible for each month of 2024. You can see whether it is visible in the evening (E) or morning (M), or not at all (—) because it is above the horizon during the day or too close to the sun.

Opposition months are shown for the superior planets. This means they’ll be visible all night long.

Conjunction dates are given for all the planets except Mercury, which only has greatest elongation dates show. Note that Mars doesn’t have either a conjunction or opposition in 2024.

Use this calendar as a ‘ready reckoner’ for what planets we can see this evening. For more detail on observing the visible planets, scroll beneath the calendar.

mGE = Greatest Elongation visible morning, eGE = Greatest Elongation visible evening, Opp = Opposition, M = Morning, i.e. rises after midnight, E = Evening, i.e. rises before midnight, Con = Conjunction, — = Not Visible. For Mercury, only Greatest Elongation dates are shown but the planet will be visible for 1-2 weeks on either side of that date.

Mercury

For the smallest planet in the solar system, you may be wondering can we see Mercury from Earth, and the answer is a resoundingyes! You can see Mercury without a telescope if you know when and where to look. However, of the five brightest planets, Mercury is definitely the trickiest one to glimpse.

For the best chance of success, find an elevated position, e.g. a hill that overlooks an open horizon. Mercury skirts so close to the ground – even at its best – that trees and buildings can prevent you from seeing it.

The challenge to seeing Mercury comes from the short distance between it and the Sun, and the rapid orbit the planet has. Mercury orbits the Sun in only 88 days, so it completes well over four laps of the sun for every one of ours.

Mercury is so close to the sun that we can never see it in true darkness. Its proximity to the sun also means that the little planet is never very high in the sky – it rarely rises more than 10° above the horizon after sunset or before sunrise. Ten degrees is aboutthe width of your fistat the end of your outstretched arm, i.e. it’s not very high.

Our time to see it is also limited. Even at its best seeing, Mercury is usually only visible for up to an hour before sunrise in the morning or after sunset in the evening. And, because of its rapid orbit, we don’t get to see Mercury for many days in a row either before it returns to the Sun’s glare.

Because Mercury is near the Sun, it’s visible in the west straight after sunset and in the east immediately before sunrise.

MercurySeeing Challenges:

• Mercury.Yes, your first challenge is to see the planet itself. Whilst it is bright, it’s always in the glare of the dawn or dusk low towards the horizon. Seeing the planet Mercury is a great first achievement!
• Mercury’s phases.What is worth looking out for is the crescent of Mercury.Sky & Telescope Magazinealways carry an almanac of how much of the surface is illuminated. (Read ourhere).

Venus

The next planet out from Mercury is Venus, which is the brightest object in the night sky after the Moon.

Like Mercury, Venus orbits relatively close to the Sun and is known as either a morning or evening ‘star’ because it either rises in the morning before the Sun or sets after it in the evening.

Unlike Mercury, Venus is far enough from the sun that we can see it in the darkness of nighttime and not just in the glow of dawn or dusk.

Venus also has crescent phases, like our own Moon, which can be seen through a small telescope (this link opens our favorite models in a new tab). This is the only feature to observe on Venus because it has no moons of its own, nor any visible surface features.

Where Can You Find Venus?

Like all planets, Venus is found onthe eclipticbut never strays too far from the western horizon when it’s an evening star or the eastern horizon in the morning.

The planet is unmistakably bright, shining much brighter than any other object in the night sky which makes it easy to view, even witha pair of binoculars.

At its furthest from the Sun, Venus can spend a few nights where it is visible all night long. From central latitudes of the US, it can climb about 30° above the horizon.

For more details click this link forour dedicated guide to seeing Venus with a telescope.

VenusSeeing Challenges:

• ​Crescent Venus.Looking at the planet through a telescope, you’ll be able to see the phase of this planet, from crescent to gibbous. See its disc size change as Venus moves closer to and further from Earth.
• See Venusin the day!Yes,it is bright enough to be seen when the sun is in the sky, but you need to know where to look and have keen eyes
• See a shadow cast by Venus’s light. On a moonless night, it is the brightest object in the sky and, at a dark site, it is possible tosee shadows cast by the planet

Mars

Passing our home planet, we begin the journey through the superior planets with Mars.

Famous to everyone, astronomer or not, the ease with which it can be picked out in the night sky varies. But, if you’ve ever wondered ‘can you see Mars without a telescope?’ the answer is a definite Yes!

Mars reaches opposition approximately every two years. The last time we enjoyed one was in December 2022 and the next one is in January 2025.

The Red Planet spends much of its time a long way from Earth, making the disc small and putting most of its surface features out of reach of a regular backyard telescope. However, at the end of 2024, we’ll get much better views as the planet becomes one of the larger night sky objects.

Where Can You Find Mars?

Mars travels along the ecliptic, just like Venus and Mercury, but, being further away from the Sun than we are, Mars orbits our star more slowly.

Mars begins 2022 as a small morning object in the constellation of Ophiuchus before soon moving to Sagittarius.

The best time of the year to observe it is from around August onwards. Not only can we begin to see it in the late evening, but it will rapidly grow and reveal more of itself as it heads for its closest approach to Earth for two years in December.

Click here forour dedicated guide to seeing Mars with a telescope.

Mars Seeing Challenges:

There are lots of features we backyard astronomers can look for on the Martian surface but many of them are not available to us this year given the distance of the planet.

• Redness of the disc.It is apparent in any size of telescope
• Gibbous Shape.Mars does not show phases like the inner planets, but it is close enough that Earth casts a shadow on it at various times on its journey around the sun. This has the effect of giving Mars a gibbous shape which you’ll seein a ‘scope.
• Polar Ice Caps.Easier to see inMartian winter. The last winter solstice was on July 21, 2022 and the next is on June 07 this year.
• Shades of Color.Unless you have a truly enormous telescope you’re unfortunately not going to see detail in Mars’ surface features. However, you should be able to make out smudges of color, where darker and lighter areas of the Martian surface rub against each other.
• Phobos and Deimos.Meaningfearandpanic, these are thetwo small moons of Mars. They are very dim (magnitude 11.3 and 12.4 respectively) putting them beyond the reach of smaller scopes.You’ll need at least an 8” – 10″ aperturewith decent seeing conditions to find them.
• Dust Clouds.Mars experiences dust storms and you may be fortunate enough to see one of those through your scope. They don’t run to a schedule, so it’s all in the luck of your timing.

For more details click this link forour dedicated guide to seeing Mars with a telescope.

Jupiter

The fourth of our five visible planets is the solar system’s giant: Jupiter.

Even though it is much further from us than Mars, the fact it’s well over a thousand times larger than the red planet means Jupiter shines more brightly than it in our skies. At its brightest, Jupiter is the third brightest object in the night sky, beaten only by Venus and the Moon.

So, if you’re wondering ‘can I see Jupiter without a telescope’, you absolutely can! It’s a bright planet and can be found in Taurus or Aries for most of 2024.

Whilst you can see Jupiter without a telescope, it is a great planet to look atwithone. There is so much to see on its surface and you can see the brightest moons of Jupiter too. If you don’t own one yet, take a look at our reviews of the best telescopes.

Even binoculars will show you the famous Galilean moons of Jupiter and a small scope will bring out the different brightnesses of the bands on the planet’s surface, if not the colors themselves.

JupiterSeeing Challenges:

• Galilean moons.The four moons closest to Jupiter (from a total of 67 known moons) werediscovered by Galileo Galileiover 400 years ago 1610. Outwards from the planet, they are Io, Europa, Ganymede (itself bigger than planet Mercury), and Callisto.
  They are easily visible as pinpricks of light on either side of Jupiter when they’re not behind it. They move quickly andthis almanac from Sky & Telescopewill tell you which ones can be seen on any given day.
• Bands of Color.Jupiter is famous for its gas bands and even a relatively small telescope will showyouthe main bands as faint shades of grey. Larger scopes will reveal more detail and some color.
• Great Red Spot.This is perhaps Jupiter’s most famous feature, which is why we have a dedicated guide to seeing the Great Red Spot.You’ll need a decent magnification (250x) to see it, andthis almanacto make sure you’re looking for it at the right time.
• Moon Transits.Seeing the moons themselves is simple, but can you see them and their shadows cross in front of the planet? With good seeing,optics, andthis almanac, you’ll be proud of managing to see one of these events.

For more details click this link forour dedicated guide to seeing Jupiter with a telescope.

Saturn

Next, we come to the last of the five planets visible from Earth with the naked eye. And, for many, the most spectacular to look at with a telescope.

If you’re wondering “can I see Saturn without a telescope?” you absolutely can! At its brightest Saturn’s light outshines every star – only the moon and four closer planets beat it, so it’s easy to pick out.

For many astronomers, nothing beats their first view of Saturn and its awe-inspiring rings through the eyepiece of a telescope. It’s a pleasing and surreal sight that keeps many of us coming back to the ringed planet time and again.

Where Can You Find Saturn?

Like Jupiter, Saturn is agas giantand even with its truly enormous distance from us it shines brightly in the sky and is easy to pick out with the naked eye.

Saturn’s distance from the Sun means it takes a leisurely 30 years to orbit the sun so, throughout 2024, it doesn’t move much against the background of stars. The planet spends almost the whole year in the constellation of Aquarius.

SaturnSeeing Challenges:

• Saturn’s rings.Of course, this is where we start! In 2018 the rings appeared wider (more angled towards Earth) than since 2003. They will be edge-on to us in March 2025, so they’re really shallow this year.
• Binocularswon’tshow them, but even the most modest telescope will reveal their glory.
• Individual rings.With a larger telescope and more magnification, it’s a good challenge to break the rings down into their component parts:rings A, B, C, and D, and the Cassini Division.
• Titan.Saturn’s largest moon (which, like Ganymede,is also larger than Mercury) shines at magnitude 8.3 and is visible with a 4” scope.
  It orbits quite a distance from the planet but is relatively easy to find if you look at the right time.
  There are another61 moons around Saturn, but none even close to the size of Titan. However, if you’re fortunate enough to have an 8” scope, you could try spotting the next four largest moons, which are Enceladus, Dione, Tethys, and Rhea. Usethis almanacto help you find them.

Can I See Uranus and Neptune Tonight?

Uranus and Neptune are the last two planets in the solar system.

We’ve not covered them in detail as they are a much harder spot than the other five, but they may be a challenge you want to take on as you become more proficient at looking around the sky with your telescope.

Click here for our detailed guide to seeing Uranus.

Click here for our detailed guide to seeing Neptune.

You’ll need a magnification of at least 100x to see the disc of Uranus and more for Neptune. You’ll also need adetailed finder chart for UranusandNeptuneso you know where to look.

It can be hard to know if you’ve found what you’re looking for, but they both shine with a blue/green light and, of course, they move over successive nights with respect to the background stars.

Summary & Resources

All five visible planets put on spectacular shows at various points in 2024. Mercury looks best in January’s morning sky, Mars becomes prominent at the end of the year, heading for its closest approach in two years at the start of 2025, and Saturn and Jupiter reach opposition in December and September, respectively.

Each planet offers its own unique challenges from simple to moderately difficult.

Make a reminder to look for Mercury and Venus when they are at greatest elongation. For Jupiter and Saturn, you’ll see the most detail when they are at opposition.

2024 Opposition Dates for the Planets

• Mars – no opposition this year
• Jupiter – 02 December
• Saturn – 07 September
• Uranus – 16 November
• Neptune – 20 September

Planet-Finding Resources

These are some useful resources to help you further with your planet observation.

• The Virtual Astronomy Club
• Sky & Telescope Magazine subscription(see ourreviewarticle)
• NASA’s planetary factsheets
• Maps of planets against constellation background