On Christmas Day many people will wake up hoping to find a new telescope or pair of binoculars under their tree – if they’ve been good, of course.
If you’re one of them, you’ll be faced with a big question after the excitement of unwrapping your gift has faded: hmmm… ok… what can I actually look at with this tonight?
Thankfully, as darkness falls at the end of the big day there will be a celestial charm bracelet of six planets stretched out across the sky in a huge arc spanning from east to west.
Read our guide on how to spend your first night with a telescope
Four of the planets on Christmas Night 2024 will be obvious to the naked eye – Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn – and easy to find and observe through your shiny new telescope too.
The planets will be quite low down and close to the horizon, so a clear view will really help here.
We'll begin our planet tour at around 5.30pm to catch Venus before it sneaks below the horizon.
At that time, the sky should be dark on Christmas Night, but note that these are UK timings.
If you're observing from more southerly latitudes in the US, for example, you may need to add an hour or so on to our timings.
The key is to wait for darkness to descend, so that the Sun is safely out of the way by the time you start observing the night sky with your telescope.
Then take your time observing the planets in the order they appear in our list below. By the time you get to Mars, say around 7pm, it will be rising above the horizon near Jupiter.
Venus
To get started, go outside at 5.30pm (or a bit later if observing in the southern USA, for example), turn to the south-west, and as long as there aren’t trees or buildings on your skyline to block it from view, low in the sky you’ll see Venus blazing above the horizon.
To your naked eye it will look like a very bright silvery-white star, shining with a steady light.
Look at it through a telescope, though, and its brightness will be greatly intensified, and it will shimmer and wobble as its light is broken up by the atmosphere.
With enough magnification, Venus will look like a tiny, gibbous Moon through your new telescope.
Find out more with our guide on how to observe Venus
Saturn
Next, look to the upper left of Venus, higher in the sky, and you’ll see Saturn shining like a gold-hued star.
Unfortunately your new telescope won’t provide you with the Voyager- or Cassini-like view of its glorious rings you’ve probably been looking forward to, because they are currently tilted towards us, but they will still be visible as a sharp line on either side of the disc.
Find out more with our guide on how to observe Saturn
Neptune
If you know the sky well enough you will be able to use your new telescope to see Neptune next.
The most distant planet will be shining close to Saturn, a short distance to its left.
It will look like small blue-green disc at the highest magnification your instrument will allow.
Jupiter
Look over towards the south-east next and shining above the much-loved constellation of Orion, with his famously fancy belt of three blue-white stars, you’ll see Jupiter blazing brightly.
Even though it will be fainter than Venus, Jupiter will actually look more impressive because it’s much higher in the sky.
Through binoculars you’ll be able to see up to four of its family of 95 moons, looking like tiny pin-prick stars close to the planet itself.
Train your new telescope on Jupiter and you’ll see it transformed from a simple bright star to a pale yellow-white disc, noticeably flattened at its poles, and crossed by toffee- and coffee-hued bands and belts of cloud.
Find out more with our guide on how to observe Jupiter
Uranus
Again, if you know the sky well enough you’ll also be able to find Uranus shining to the right of Jupiter, to the right of the sparkling Pleiades star cluster.
But if you’re new to stargazing and don’t know your way around the constellations yet that might have to wait for another time.
Mars
Finally, look over to the left of Orion, and shining just above the north-eastern horizon you’ll see what looks like a strikingly-bright orange star.
This is Mars, and it’s so bright right now because it is close to us.
Mars is approaching opposition in January 2025, so this is a really good time to start exploring the Red Planet with your telescope, then keep following it well into the New Year.
Mars’s low altitude early on Christmas Night 2024 may mean it’s hidden by trees or buildings to your east, so be prepared to have to move somewhere with a clearer view.
But as the night progresses, Mars will climb higher and higher, meaning around midnight you should get amazing views of it.
Through binoculars, Mars’s warm, marmalade-hue will be greatly enhanced, but if you put a high-powered eyepiece in your new telescope and train it on Mars you’ll see its smoky disc, with hints of dark features on its surface and maybe even the bright spot of its north polar ice cap too.
Of course, there’ll be lots more to see in the sky than just these planets.
The winter sky is full of sparkling star clusters, wispy nebulae and whirlpool galaxies, but you’ll need to learn where they are in the sky before you can track them down.
We've got guides on winter constellations, winter star clusters, winter stargazing and winter astronomy to help.
In the meantime, aim your Christmas gift at these distant worlds and enjoy the view.
Did you enjoy the planets at Christmas? Let us know how you got on by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com
