# Planet

Also called: planets.

A world orbiting the Sun — Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune in our sky.

The planets shine by reflected sunlight and move against the stars from night to night (the word means “wanderer”). They stay close to the [ecliptic](https://astropilot.space/glossary/ecliptic). Unlike stars, which [twinkle](https://astropilot.space/glossary/seeing), bright planets shine steadily, and a telescope shows each as a small disk.

Jupiter's cloud belts and moons, Saturn's rings, Venus's [phases](https://astropilot.space/glossary/phase) and Mars's polar cap are within reach of any telescope; Uranus and Neptune show tiny blue-green disks.

**At the eyepiece:** Planets need steady air more than dark skies. Observe them when they're high, and give your telescope time to [cool down](https://astropilot.space/glossary/cooldown).

**In AstroPilot:** Tonight and the sky chart show where each planet is; its page shows the size of its disk and its moons tonight.

**Examples:** [jupiter](https://astropilot.space/object/jupiter.md), [saturn](https://astropilot.space/object/saturn.md), [mars](https://astropilot.space/object/mars.md), [venus](https://astropilot.space/object/venus.md)

**Related:** [Opposition](https://astropilot.space/glossary/opposition.md), [Planetary moon](https://astropilot.space/glossary/planetary-moon.md), [Seeing](https://astropilot.space/glossary/seeing.md), [Ecliptic](https://astropilot.space/glossary/ecliptic.md), [Elongation](https://astropilot.space/glossary/elongation.md)

From the AstroPilot astronomy glossary: https://astropilot.space/glossary/planet