All the planets in one night?

[kerrylewis]

If you like this sort of challenge, and I do, the next few weeks offers an opportunity to observe all the major planets in one night - even Pluto is around if you have a large enough scope!

Mercury - at greatest elongation on July 12th and should be visible in the west after sunset for a few evenings.

Venus - very prominent in the west after sunset

Mars - now very bright in the south as it approaches opposition in July. I find around 3.00 or 4.00 am is the best time.

Jupiter - in the south after sunset.

Saturn - in the south late evening/ early morning west of Mars.

Uranus and Neptune - likely to be the trickiest. East of Mars in the morning but low and you will need a good SE horizon before the sky gets too bright.

Best of luck! 

Kerry 

 

 

[Davey-T]

May give it a try Kerry weather permitting but probably have to set up a scope in the bedroom window for Uranus and Neptune 

Dave

[RayD]

3 minutes ago, Davey-T said:

May give it a try Kerry weather permitting but probably have to set up a scope in the bedroom window for Uranus and Neptune 

Dave

Lucky you!  I'd have to set up in someone else's bedroom window, so probably best give this a miss ?

[Pete Presland]

That would be a fine nights viewing,  a couple of conifer related tricky objects there for me ?

[cv01jw]

This looks like a challenge - will give it a go, maybe even tonight as the forecast is good.  

Don't think I will get Pluto at Mag 14 with my scope though.

[Waddensky]

A nice challenge indeed! I succeeded a few years ago in observing all planets within 24 hours (strictly speaking spread over two nights), which was a great experience. This opportunity in might be a nice chance to see them all in one night, though Uranus might be tough in the morning twilight.

[Pete Presland]

Just caught the 3rd Mercury, after Venus and Jupiter. Saturn and Mars will not be a problem not sure about Uranus and Neptune though ? 

[Pete Presland]

Saturn and Mars, the 4th and 5th planets of the night captured, Uranus and Neptune are definitely going to be for another time I think!

[cv01jw]

I failed at the first hurdle- Mercury was too low to see from anywhere near my house ?

[Littleguy80]

1 hour ago, cv01jw said:

I failed at the first hurdle- Mercury was too low to see from anywhere near my house ?

Snap. I’ve seen it when it’s visible at dawn but sunset isn’t looking too good. I’m going to leave it a week and try again. I don’t think I far off seeing it. 

[DeepSkyBagger]

I hope any of you who remember this post from 4 years ago will forgive me for repeating it, but it seems relevant ---

 

I honestly don't know how often this is possible, but once, I observed all the planets in a single night. It was the 14th April 1986, and I was at a campsite about 7 miles from Ayers Rock, or Uluru, as it is more usually called now, right in the centre of Australia. I was there because of Halley's comet, which was far better seen in the southern hemisphere than in the north.

The first planet seen was lovely Venus, brilliant in the early evening sky, and setting about an hour after the Sun. One thing I noticed whilst on my Australian trip was that (at least during April), there's no appreciable twilight. The Sun sets and it goes dark, just like that, so even though it set only an hour after the Sun, Venus was a dazzling object against a virtually black sky.

I had to wait a little for the next targets to become available, but by 0100, I was ready for the meat of the night. Saturn was in Ophiuchus, riding high, with fairly wide-open rings, and Titan appearing to the planet's south. A lovely sight in my friend's portable 6" reflector.

Uranus came next, also in Ophiuchus but slightly lower in the sky than Saturn. Still lying a good 40 degrees or so above the horizon, the 6" showed a bright, pale green star.

The real challenge came a few minutes later. Using the finder chart in the BAA handbook, my friend carefully positioned the 6" on the location of Pluto (still a planet in those heady days). In Virgo and very well placed (maybe 60 degrees or so above the horizon), we strained a little, but with the really dark skies, we both spotted the elusive planet as a minute speck close to the limit of what could be seen. We were both certain, however, and another observer nearby turned his C8 to Pluto, and although the fields were reversed, we confirmed our most difficult bag of the night.

On to easier stuff. Mars was now nicely visible, decoratively placed on the edge of the great globular cluster M22 in Sagittarius, shining at about mag 0, a brilliant ruby against the black velvet sky.

Just three degrees away lay Neptune, visible in the 6" as a bright, pale blue star.

There was some time to wait now before our final planetary targets. Jupiter rose at about 0400 and Mercury about an hour later. I will never forget these two brilliant points of light - Jupiter at mag -2 and Mercury at mag 0 - shining against the dusky glow of the morning zodiacal light.

Truly a night to remember. Just one more to do. I stared at the gritty red ground between my feet. It looked more like the Viking photos of Mars. But it was definitely Earth.

[Stub Mandrel]

If you can work down beyond mag 17.5, MakeMake and Haumea are up too, near Arcturus, waiting for a moonless night to image them.

[Davey-T]

4 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

If you can work down beyond mag 17.5, MakeMake and Haumea are up too, near Arcturus, waiting for a moonless night to image them.

Vesta is an easy target while you're planet hunting just above and to the right of Saturn.

Dave