Sky Matters: Get ready to see the five naked eye planets

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will all be visible in November.

The month of November is a great time to see the five naked eye planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn) and all at quite reasonable times of the evening or morning. 

Just after dusk the planet Mars makes an appearance in the east. There’s nothing to rival its brilliance at the moment and its deep red hue is unmistakable, a colour that comes from oxidized iron (the equivalent of rust) which covers much of its surface area. Mars will be visible throughout November, so don’t miss it, and don’t worry that you may have missed it at its very brightest in early October – it will still be a spectacular sight.