<p>Stellarium shows the Moon and Mars very close together in the sky tonight (Saturday, 3rd October 2020), so yes, it was probably Mars that you saw.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/KtrfX.jpg" rel="noreferrer">Moon and Mars on 2020/10/03 (Stellarium)</a></p>
<p><a href="http://stellarium.org/" rel="noreferrer">Stellarium</a> is a great tool for identifying astronomical objects (and satellites), and is absolutely free.</p>
<p>Very rough rules of thumb for identifying planets by eye:</p>
<ul>
<li>Very bright, white, and low in the sky (early morning or evening): probably Venus (but might be Jupiter).</li>
<li>Bright, white, and high up in the sky: probably Jupiter (unlikely to be Venus, which stays close to the Sun).</li>
<li>Bright and red: probably Mars.</li>
<li>Moderately bright and pinkish: probably Saturn.</li>
<li>Faint, white, and low in the sky (early morning or evening): might be Mercury.</li>
<li>If it scintillates (twinkles), then it's a star.</li>
</ul>
<p>Jupiter and Venus are easily confused, since they can both appear to be bright and white. You really need to consider the time of day and the elevation (how high it is in the sky). Since Venus is closer to the Sun than the Earth, you are more likely to see it in the morning or evening (before sunrise or after sunset). Venus can climb quite high in the sky, but it will never be more than 45° in elevation.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-04T12:33:25.547Z
"High in the sky" is not very reliable, though. It depends on your location and the planets declination. Saturn is really low now, for example, as seen from the northern hemisphere.
Eric Duminil
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-04T12:37:04.030Z
Very large, takes up most of your field of view, standing on it: probably Earth. :)
notovny
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-04T14:25:00.530Z
@notovny People shouting political slogans in your face: probably Earth. O, Ultima Thule, where are you? :]
Mick
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-04T14:28:08.390Z
@EricDuminil For sure, but if it's high in the sky, it's unlikely to be Venus.
Mick
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-04T14:38:15.267Z
@Mick this week, venus is at 30° elevation, from my location, before sunrise. Jupiter and Saturn are close to 20° when they're highest in the sky, after sunset.
Eric Duminil
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-04T14:45:32.227Z
@EricDuminil Oh, well. I did say that they are very rough rules of thumb, and 30° elevation is not that high. I don't really want to grind the sausage too fine.
Mick
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-04T14:47:45.277Z
@Mick fair enough. You're right, 30° isn't very high, I'm just a bit frustrated to not live in the southern hemisphere right now. Another rule or thumb could be that if you see a planet at midnight, it's surely not Mercury or venus.
Eric Duminil
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-04T15:55:32.073Z
@EricDuminil You can see the sun at midnight, at an appropriate latitude and time of year, so you can certainly also see planets close to the sun.
Mike Scott
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-04T16:12:09.427Z
* If you've found it in full daylight, probably it's Venus... but since you've managed to spot it, you should already know what it is :)
Ruslan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-04T16:16:17.087Z
@MikeScott: True. I knew I'd regret writing "surely". "probably" shold do, though.
Eric Duminil
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-04T16:18:19.860Z
@Ruslan I've already seen Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Venus with my telescope in full daylight, using the moon as a guide when it passed close to the corresponding planets. It's surprisingly hard to find good rules of thumb in order to identify the planets.
Eric Duminil
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-04T16:19:07.160Z
@EricDuminil were you able to see all them with the naked eye?
Ruslan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-04T16:27:08.103Z
@Ruslan: No. Not even venus, last time I tried. The sun was pretty high, though.
Eric Duminil
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-05T16:10:18.807Z
To add to this answer: Mars is currently approaching opposition, so it's rising (brightly) soon after sunset. This week (October 6, 2020) it will be nearest to Earth (62m km), its closest approach until 2035. It reaches opposition (the point at which it falls along a line extending through the Earth and Sun) on October 13.
GalacticCowboy
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-03T17:41:03.550Z
2020-10-04T18:55:03.150Z
2020-10-04T18:55:03.150Z
Mick
<p>I live in Ahmedabad, in India, with an exact location of about 27.2048° N, 77.4975° E. Currently (as of this writing), it is 20:52 EST. I noticed a red object in the sky.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/mzpnW.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/mzpnW.jpg" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/dU0a4.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/dU0a4.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p>(Forgive the crude imaging. I took this with my phone camera.)</p>
<p>Now, the brighter object is the moon, and the less shiny object is the red one I saw. I read somewhere that Mars would be visible right now, as it is closer to the Earth.</p>
<p>I also read that Mars and Jupiter appear red, with Jupiter slightly dimmer.</p>
<p>I wanted to know whether the object I just saw was indeed a planet. If so, which one (and how can I identify them)? Or is it just another star that I spotted?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-03T17:52:29.090Z
Thank you for including time and location info. I don't think that I shall see Mars tonight. The weather here is atrocious.
Mick
<photography><mars><identify-this-object>
Which planet is this (if any)?
PNS
# Which planet is this (if any)?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-10-03)

I live in Ahmedabad, in India, with an exact location of about 27.2048° N, 77.4975° E. Currently (as of this writing), it is 20:52 EST. I noticed a red object in the sky.

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/mzpnW.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/mzpnW.jpg)

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/dU0a4.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/dU0a4.png)

(Forgive the crude imaging. I took this with my phone camera.)

Now, the brighter object is the moon, and the less shiny object is the red one I saw. I read somewhere that Mars would be visible right now, as it is closer to the Earth.

I also read that Mars and Jupiter appear red, with Jupiter slightly dimmer.

I wanted to know whether the object I just saw was indeed a planet. If so, which one (and how can I identify them)? Or is it just another star that I spotted?

**Tags:** photography, mars, identify-this-object

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Thank you for including time and location info. I don't think that I shall see Mars tonight. The weather here is atrocious.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2020-10-03. Score: 30 | Accepted answer

Stellarium shows the Moon and Mars very close together in the sky tonight (Saturday, 3rd October 2020), so yes, it was probably Mars that you saw.

[Moon and Mars on 2020/10/03 (Stellarium)](https://i.sstatic.net/KtrfX.jpg)

[Stellarium](http://stellarium.org/) is a great tool for identifying astronomical objects (and satellites), and is absolutely free.

Very rough rules of thumb for identifying planets by eye:

* Very bright, white, and low in the sky (early morning or evening): probably Venus (but might be Jupiter).
* Bright, white, and high up in the sky: probably Jupiter (unlikely to be Venus, which stays close to the Sun).
* Bright and red: probably Mars.
* Moderately bright and pinkish: probably Saturn.
* Faint, white, and low in the sky (early morning or evening): might be Mercury.
* If it scintillates (twinkles), then it's a star.

Jupiter and Venus are easily confused, since they can both appear to be bright and white. You really need to consider the time of day and the elevation (how high it is in the sky). Since Venus is closer to the Sun than the Earth, you are more likely to see it in the morning or evening (before sunrise or after sunset). Venus can climb quite high in the sky, but it will never be more than 45° in elevation.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: "High in the sky" is not very reliable, though. It depends on your location and the planets declination. Saturn is really low now, for example, as seen from the northern hemisphere.  
> **username_3**: Very large, takes up most of your field of view, standing on it: probably Earth. :)  
> **username_1**: @username_3 People shouting political slogans in your face: probably Earth. O, Ultima Thule, where are you? :]  
> **username_1**: @username_2 For sure, but if it's high in the sky, it's unlikely to be Venus.  
> **username_2**: @username_1 this week, venus is at 30° elevation, from my location, before sunrise. Jupiter and Saturn are close to 20° when they're highest in the sky, after sunset.  
> **username_1**: @username_2 Oh, well. I did say that they are very rough rules of thumb, and 30° elevation is not that high. I don't really want to grind the sausage too fine.  
> **username_2**: @username_1 fair enough. You're right, 30° isn't very high, I'm just a bit frustrated to not live in the southern hemisphere right now. Another rule or thumb could be that if you see a planet at midnight, it's surely not Mercury or venus.  
> **username_4**: @username_2 You can see the sun at midnight, at an appropriate latitude and time of year, so you can certainly also see planets close to the sun.  
> **username_5**: * If you've found it in full daylight, probably it's Venus... but since you've managed to spot it, you should already know what it is :)  
> **username_2**: @username_4: True. I knew I'd regret writing "surely". "probably" shold do, though.  
> **username_2**: @username_5 I've already seen Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Venus with my telescope in full daylight, using the moon as a guide when it passed close to the corresponding planets. It's surprisingly hard to find good rules of thumb in order to identify the planets.  
> **username_5**: @username_2 were you able to see all them with the naked eye?  
> **username_2**: @username_5: No. Not even venus, last time I tried. The sun was pretty high, though.  
> **username_6**: To add to this answer: Mars is currently approaching opposition, so it's rising (brightly) soon after sunset. This week (October 6, 2020) it will be nearest to Earth (62m km), its closest approach until 2035. It reaches opposition (the point at which it falls along a line extending through the Earth and Sun) on October 13.  

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