Many years ago I did this due to an observation bulitin in a popular astronomy magazine (which?) that gave directions on how to locate these planets using the Moon when it was near the ecliptic during the daytime on specific dates/times. You were to go a certain direction in degrees from the Moon to locate the planet in question. Doing so, I did locate Jupiter on one date and although its moons were not detectable, some equatorial bands were seen with some studying. On another date, I observed Saturn this way and the rings were evident but with no other details. On both occasions I was using a 4" newt.
Has anyone tried observing these planets this way before? If so, what were your thoughts on the experience/image?
With todays go-to scopes, I assume locating these planets during the daytime would be much easier, once you know where they will be in the sky at a given date/time.
On both observations, the planets were only slightly brighter than the bright background sky but without the glare of nightime observing, some details could be seen. Mr Q

Yes, I have observed a number of planets during daylight hours in my NexStar 9.25 inch SCT using its Go-To ability. Venus is quite easy and is often visible to the unaided eye, so I sometimes use it to "tweak" the Go-To system's alignment after the initial setup. Mercury is a little more risky, but during the day, I can usually pick out its off-white color and see the phase without a lot of difficulty. Mars is harder, but as long as it isn't terribly near the sun, I can usually see its dim pinkish disk and maybe a hint of albedo markings. Jupiter shows two to four belts during the day but doesn't have a lot of contrast. Saturn is more difficult, as it is faint enough that it almost blends into the blue of the daytime sky. Still, it is visible with the rings and the main equatorial belt being the main features seen. Beyond that, the only other solar system bodies I have seen during the daylight hours are the sun, the moon, and Comet McNaught in January of last year when it was near the sun and nearly as bright as Venus. However, I have been able to find a number of the brighter stars in the sky during the day using the NexStar's Go-To ability (down to around 2nd or 3rd magnitude). Clear skies to you.

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David W. Knisely KA0CZC@navix.net
Prairie Astronomy Club: http://www.prairieastronomyclub.org
Hyde Memorial Observatory: http://www.hydeobservatory.info/

I've also observed a number of planets and bright stars during the daytime. Observing Venus very close to inferior conjunction when it's the thinnest crescent imaginable and is at its maximum apparent size is quite remarkable. It goes without saying that one must be very careful when attempting this feat.

Dave Mitsky

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Chance favors the prepared mind.
De gustibus non est disputandum.
Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

Hi David - I didn't think Mars was observable during the day due to its fainter mag than the brighter planets. The pink hue must look nice against the pale blue sky. Mr Q

Mr. Q. (and the Davids): You probably read a piece I wrote for Astronomy back in the early 80s, or a similar piece for S&T in the 90s. I've observed Jupiter using this technique several times since the 70s. I personally have never observed Mars with the unaided eye in the daytime, but I think it does get bright enough, so there is a chance. In fact I had a correspondent in Saudi or Kuwait who apparently did see Mars, naked eye, with the sun still in the sky seveal years ago. I think he did use binoculars to find it initially, though.

By the way, there are a series of opportunities to see Jupiter in the morning sky over the next few months, beginning with the Last Quarter at the end of March (actually it is closest to Jupiter on the 2nd of March). If you are an early riser, it may be worth the try!

Larry Sessions
Denver