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You can track planets by getting a star atlas like Norton or more detailed ones like the Sky Atlas 2000.

Stars and planets have position that are given in right-ascension (RA) and declination, which are equivalent to longitude and latitude on the celestial sphere. The star atlas shows all the fixed stars down to a given magnitude, with scales to show RA and declination.

Next you need an almanac or some other tables that give the RA and dec of all the planets, tabulated over a period such as one year. Then all you have to do is to choose a planet and transfer its position on to the chart. It's best to choose the period round the planet's opposition, and you can see its curved path among the stars.

I have carried out the above for Uranus most years for a long time and usually manage to locate it with binoculars each year. It's interesting to follow its slow progress through the sky from one year to the next! it's dark by the time you get back from the pub :).

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12y ago

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