Where the planets are right now

The shy one. Mercury never strays far from the Sun, so it only appears low in the twilight for a week or two at a time.

The evening star and the morning star. Venus is the brightest thing in the night sky after the Moon, bright enough to cast faint shadows.

The red planet. Mars changes brightness more than any other planet, from unremarkable to blazing, on a cycle of about 26 months.

The king. Jupiter is the bright, steady, cream-white light that dominates the sky for months at a time and can be up at any hour.

The ringed planet. To the eye Saturn is a calm, pale-gold point, about as bright as the brighter stars.

The first planet discovered with a telescope. Uranus sits right at the limit of what the eye can see from a truly dark place.

The most distant planet. Neptune is far too faint for the naked eye and needs a telescope or good binoculars.