Astronomy allows us to view objects millions of light years away, but some of the most interesting things in the night sky are the planets of our own solar system. As the planets are closer to the earth, they can be observed through most telescopes.

Refractor telescopes can provide a better image with greater clarity and sharpness of detail. Reflector telescopes with larger apertures can see the distant planets that are small with low contrast.

Planets move around the sun at different speeds and at different distances in respect to the sun. Mercury and Venus are closer to the sun, therefore are always found not far away from it.

These planets are always seen before the sun rises on the eastern horizon or after the sun sets on the western horizon. This will depend on the position of the planet at the time and when the planet moves in front or behind the sun we can not see it at all.

The planets on the side of the earth furthest from the sun will be slower to traverse the sky and appear to follow the earths position allowing them to stay visible longer. As their revolution about the sun is different to the earth, the position against the stars will change slightly every night. As all the planets travel around the sun on a similar plane, they all appear across the central line in the sky known as the Ecliptic.

To know where and how to locate a planet observers rely on books, magazines, almanacs and computer programmes to know where and when they will be visible. The large planets such as Jupiter and Saturn are very bright and can be found in a general area if you know when and where to look. Distant planets such as Uranus and Neptune are very small and can only be found with good navigation skills and a telescope. For the best results, select a dark observing site on a clear night and research the position of the planet by the constellation it will be passing through. Find a dominant star in that constellation and pick a route to follow by star hopping. Generally this will help you locate the faint objects and planets that you are looking for.