Apparent Magnitude of planets as seen from earth

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SUMMARY

The apparent magnitude of planets as seen from Earth varies significantly, with Mars ranging from -2.9 to 1.8 and Mercury from -2.0 to 5.5. Mercury exhibits the greatest variation in brightness due to its position relative to the Sun during inferior and superior conjunctions, which affects its visibility. Venus, while the brightest planet with a peak magnitude of around -4.5, also experiences phases similar to the Moon, impacting its apparent brightness. The discussion concludes that while both Mercury and Mars have notable variations, Mercury's visibility is more drastically affected by solar proximity.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of apparent magnitude in astronomy
  • Knowledge of planetary conjunctions and their effects on visibility
  • Familiarity with retrograde motion of planets
  • Basic concepts of planetary phases
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the effects of solar conjunction on planetary visibility
  • Explore the concept of retrograde motion in detail
  • Study the phases of Venus and Mercury
  • Investigate the historical observations of planetary brightness variations
USEFUL FOR

Astronomy enthusiasts, students studying celestial mechanics, and anyone interested in the visibility and brightness variations of planets as observed from Earth.

RiChY
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I've seen that Mars' apparent magnitude varies between -2.9 and 1.8 and Mercury's from -2.0 and 5.5 (wikipedia said so at least).
I'm trying to figure out which planet would have the greatest variation in brightness, as seen from Earth. The numbers at wikipedia points in the direction of Mercury, but I can't explain why it should be either planet.

Would it be Mercury? Because when in inferior/superior conjunction it's not visible due to the much brighter sun?
Would it be Mars? Because of the retrograde motion when it's in opposition?

Any help would be appreciated :)
 
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I'd say Venus, because it's the brightest among all planets as viewed from Earth(around -4.5 at the peak). And during inferior conjunction, and especially when it's in a solar transit, it's basically a black disk. Unlike planets beyond Earth, Mercury and Venus have phases like the Moon.
 
RiChY said:
I've seen that Mars' apparent magnitude varies between -2.9 and 1.8 and Mercury's from -2.0 and 5.5 (wikipedia said so at least).
I'm trying to figure out which planet would have the greatest variation in brightness, as seen from Earth. The numbers at wikipedia points in the direction of Mercury, but I can't explain why it should be either planet.

Would it be Mercury? Because when in inferior/superior conjunction it's not visible due to the much brighter sun?
Would it be Mars? Because of the retrograde motion when it's in opposition?

Any help would be appreciated :)

The motion of all planets are defined clearly, so it is imposible to mix among them.
 

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