SPACE.com -- Uranus at Opposition

A. Uranus is at opposition tonight (opposite the sun in the sky as seen from Earth). It is located in the constellation Capricornus the Sea Goat, which looks like a smile in the sky.

B. Using binoculars, pinpoint Uranus' position 2 northwest of Deneb Algiedi, the constellation's brightest star. Look for an arc of three stars. Uranus will be a greenish dot within this arc.

The inner solar system this week.

Top: The sky as seen from mid-northern latitudes; Bottom: The sky as seen from mid-southern latitudes. Both are at 9:30 p.m., facing south. The curved line represents the plane of our solar system, called the ecliptic.


	Uranus at Opposition By Jeff Kanipe posted: 30 June 2005 08:07 am

The 7th planet of our solar system, Uranus, reaches opposition tonight, the point in its orbit when it lies opposite the sun in the sky. Like the moon, which can be described as coming to opposition each month during its full phase, Uranus rises tonight as the sun sets, is overhead at midnight, and sets at sunrise.

Opposition is the best time to observe this world because it is nearest Earth and is thus brighter and presents a slightly larger disk. Technically, you are supposed to be able to spot Uranus with the unaided eye, but it is difficult at best, even for keen eyes. Binoculars help.

Fortunately, Uranus is currently located in a rather dim area of sky, so it should stick out - not like the proverbial sore thumb, necessarily, but certainly more obviously than it would in a star-rich part of the sky.

Find the constellation Capricornus, which looks like a big smile in the sky. Scan the region 2° northwest of Deneb Algiedi, the constellation's brightest star. With a pair of 7X50 binoculars, look for a distinctive arc of three, 5th-magnitude stars. Nestled within this arc is the greenish dot (3.7 arcseconds in diameter) of Uranus. High magnification (say 100X) reveals a featureless disk and little else.

Uranus is moving westward in the sky, so over the coming weeks it gradually edges away from the arc of stars. It lies a little over 3° north of the almost-full moon August 31, and floats "above" the star Nashira by mid September.