If you head outside at around 9pm at the end of January, face south and look up, assuming the sky is clear, the brightest star-like object you’ll see is the planet Jupiter. Located roughly two-thirds up the sky, Jupiter is brighter than anything else around it. The slightly dimmer – and distinctly redder – Mars can be seen further to the east (left), but both planets are currently arranged above Orion; Jupiter to the northwest of the constellation, Mars northeast.
Both planets look impressive to the naked eye, but how do they fare through binoculars? Well, to be honest, Mars just looks brighter. This is also true for Jupiter, but holding binoculars very still may grab you a view of some of its four largest moons on either side of the planet.