software > Planet Finder

This applet shows the locations of the planets, stars, moon, and sun in the sky from any location and for any date and time. It may take 30 seconds or so for the applet to appear on your screen in the space below.

If you've been wondering what that bright "star" was that you'd been noticing recently, chances are it's actually a planet! PlanetFinder can help you figure out what it is. You can also use PlanetFinder to figure out what constellations will be visible tonight, or to plan observations with binoculars or a telescope. Here is some information on binocular observing.

Documentation and source code for PlanetFinder are here.