View of planet Uranus from space. Space, nebula and planet Uranus. This image elements furnished by ... [+]
Have you ever seen Uranus? Unless you own a high-powered telescope, it’s doubtful, but this weekend, there’s a great chance to see it—and all you need is a pair of binoculars.
The key reason why the seventh planet is about to be relatively easy to locate in the night sky is Jupiter, which can briefly be used as a celestial signpost. The giant planet—and Uranus—was soon to sink into the sun’s glare, disappearing for a few weeks before re-emerging into the pre-dawn sky.
Blue-Green Planet
That makes this weekend ideal because both planets are visible right next to each other in the post-sunset western night sky. On its 84 Earth years, the orbit of the sun, the blue-green planet Uranus, and the third-largest planet in our solar system will this weekend be about 30 arc minutes from the giant planet. That’s about the width of the moon. Both will be in the constellation of Aries.
If you’ve never seen Uranus, then this is the weekend for you because, for three nights in a row, it will become a reasonably easy object to spot for anyone with any pair of binoculars or a small telescope. All you have to do is find Jupiter and look to the right. However, while Jupiter will be easy to see, Uranus will take some searching—it’s about 1,500 times dimmer.
As a bonus, you’ll be looking close to where Comet Pons-Brooks is—and while it’s shining at its brightest.
Saturday, April 20: Jupiter And Uranus In Conjunction
Seeing Jupiter And Uranus
An hour after sunset on Saturday, April 20 through Sunday, April 23 is when to look. Jupiter and Uranus will appear together in the western sky for about an hour before they sink into the horizon.
They will be so close that both Jupiter and Uranus will appear in the same field of view of a pair of binoculars or a small telescope.
Although it’s technically possible to see Uranus with the naked eye, it’s right on the cusp, with a visual magnitude of 5.8. You’d need a very, very dark sky and a keen eye. However, in a telescope, it has a definite blue-green color. If you catch Uranus, consider this: the light you’re seeing reflected from the planet about three hours earlier to cross two billion miles/three billion kilometers of the solar system—about 20 times the distance between the Earth and the sun.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
