I can see Venus and Mars, what about the others?
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4$\begingroup$ This question does not show any research effort. $\endgroup$– PM 2RingCommented Nov 24, 2022 at 10:44
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3$\begingroup$ this is their research effort! :) $\endgroup$– Rabbi KaiiCommented Nov 24, 2022 at 14:01
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1$\begingroup$ They've done enough research to know two fifths of the answer. $\endgroup$– Greg MillerCommented Nov 24, 2022 at 23:28
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3$\begingroup$ Everyone missed one: Earth! $\endgroup$– JohnHoltzCommented Nov 25, 2022 at 2:03
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2$\begingroup$ You forgot the obvious: Earth $\endgroup$– Nilay GhoshCommented Nov 25, 2022 at 3:18
2 Answers
The faintest we can see is magnitude +6.5
Here are the apparent magnitudes of planets at their brightest, I've boldened the ones that fall within visible range:
−4.92 planet Venus
−2.94 planet Jupiter
−2.94 planet Mars
−2.48 planet Mercury
−0.55 planet Saturn
+5.38 planet Uranus
+6.64 dwarf planet Ceres
+7.67 planet Neptune
+13.65 dwarf planet Pluto
Other dwarf planets are generally fainter than this.
Source: Wikipedia
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4$\begingroup$ Athough Mercury is bright, observing it by naked eye is pretty far from being easy :) Especially is you live far from equator. I live on 56 North and have seen Merqury only once. $\endgroup$– HeoppsCommented Nov 24, 2022 at 13:59
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1$\begingroup$ @Heopps I agree since Mercury is so close to sun, it gets hidden under the sun's glare. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 25, 2022 at 7:35
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1$\begingroup$ @Heopps the main problem is living that far North of the equator. It's easier to see it on the other hemisphere, due to where Mercury's aphelion lies. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 27, 2022 at 18:58
In addition to Venus and Mars, one can easily see Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn with the naked eye. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn were known to the ancients. That's why they're called "planets" (which means wanderers) rather than stars. The outer planets were not discovered until the invention of the telescope.
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3$\begingroup$ But nevertheless, Uranus is bright enough to be seen with the naked eye if you know where to look. $\endgroup$– ProfRobCommented Nov 24, 2022 at 9:45
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$\begingroup$ @ProfRob Still Uranus is very hard to detect and it needs an eagle eye. I am not sure if Uranus is the farthest object in Solar system that you can see with naked eyes, so I asked in a separate post: astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/51131/… $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 25, 2022 at 9:19