If you see a very bright star in -the sky and you cant find it on a star map then you are looking at a planet. Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn can all be seen without a telescope and you can sometimes catch a glimpse of Mercury or Uranus.
The problem is knowing where to look. You
can buy books that tell you where the planets will be every night. They don't stay still like the
star patterns. One month they will be in one star group the next they will have moved
on.
However they will always be close to the thick line on the map on this page.
This line is called the ECLTPTIC. (don't confuse the word with eclipse)
If you
search along this line at night and see what looks like a new star then it's probably a
planet.
