Uranus will be visible in the night sky tonight – here’s the best time to see it from the UK
- Astronomers say the cold, icy world will be visible in the night sky from midnight
- This is because it will be in opposition with Earth and about 1.6 billion miles away
It is a cold, icy world and one of the most distant planets in our solar system.
But stargazers in the UK will tonight have the chance to see the rare and spectacular sight of Uranus from around midnight, potentially even with the naked eye if skies are clear.
The reason the seventh planet from the sun will be visible is because of a phenomenon known as opposition.
This is where Earth is between Uranus and the sun, meaning the faraway world is the closest it can be to us during a given year — and therefore also at its brightest.
When a planet in our solar system is at opposition, it is always the best time to view it from Earth because light from the sun reflects off the world and makes it appear as a faint star.
Exciting: Stargazers in the UK will tonight have the chance to see the rare and spectacular sight of Uranus from around midnight, potentially even with the naked eye if skies are clear
Icy world: Experts say it is possible to see Uranus with the naked eye, but skywatchers will need to find a spot away from big cities and hope that their view is not obscured by cloud
DATES FOR WHEN PLANETS ARE NEXT IN OPPOSITION
Uranus: November 13
Saturn: September 8, 2024
Neptune: September 21, 2024
Uranus: November 17, 2024
Jupiter: December 7, 2024
Mars: January 16, 2025
When it comes to Uranus, this always happens in mid-November every year when the planet is around 1.6 billion miles from Earth.
That may seem an extremely long way away but because the ice giant is so big – about four times as wide as our own planet – it is relatively easy to spot.
Experts insist that it will be possible to see Uranus with the naked eye, but skywatchers will need to find a spot away from big cities and hope that their view is not obscured by cloud.
‘If you get a chance to stargaze from a less light-polluted area and if the weather is on your side, you will be able to spot it,’ the Royal Observatory Greenwich said.
‘If not, you will be able to see it with a telescope, if you have access to one.
‘Through a telescope, Uranus appears as a lightly green-tinted disk, and you might even be able to spot some of its moons!’
The Royal Observatory’s Dr Greg Brown told MailOnline that ‘due to the rotation of the Earth, it [Uranus] will rise at sunset and be highest in the sky at midnight, making it the clearest and easiest to see at that time’.
He advised people to look due south around 50 degrees above the horizon below the constellation of Aries.
If anyone is still struggling, Dr Brown said to look for ‘two easy to spot sights’.
‘The almost unmissable bright point of light that is the planet Jupiter and the bright cluster of stars known as the Pleiades or the Seven Sisters — Uranus will be almost exactly halfway between the two,’ he added.
Snag: Most people across England might have a good view tonight, but forecasters say those in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland could struggle due to cloud cover at around midnight
Uranus is the second planet to be in opposition this month, following Jupiter on November 2-3
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Using the Very Large Array, NASA scientists have spotted what they believe is a polar cyclone at Uranus’ north pole for the very first time
‘While technically visible with the unaided eye under ideal conditions, it is best seen with a pair of binoculars or a small telescope as a tiny pale blue dot.’
Not to worry if you miss it, however. That’s because astronomers say Uranus will stay bright until mid-December, so there is still plenty of time to catch a glimpse of it in the night sky.
Most of England should have a decent view tonight, forecasters say, but those in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are likely to be hindered by cloud.
The ice giant is the second planet to be in opposition this month, following Jupiter on November 2-3.
At this point, the gas giant was around 367 million miles from Earth, compared to 601 million miles when it is farthest away.
Planetary oppositions for Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune occur almost every year because Earth orbits the sun much quicker than the worlds further out to space.
Mars is slightly different, however.
As the Red Planet and our own world are relatively close together in the solar system, an opposition of Mars happens roughly every 27 months.
After today, Uranus will next be in opposition on November 17, 2024, Saturn on September 8 next year, Neptune on September 21 and Jupiter on December 7, 2024.
HOW DOES URANUS’S MAGNETIC FIELD COMPARE TO EARTH’S?
A study analysing data collected more than 30 years ago by the Voyager 2 spacecraft has found that the Uranus’s global magnetosphere is nothing like Earth’s, which is known to be aligned nearly with our planet’s spin axis.
A false-color view of Uranus captured by Hubble is pictured
According to the researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology, this alignment would give rise to behaviour that is vastly different from what’s seen around Earth.
Uranus lies and rotates on its side, leaving its magnetic field tilted 60 degrees from its axis.
As a result, the magnetic field ‘tumbles’ asymmetrically relative to the solar wind.
As a result, the magnetic field ‘tumbles’ asymmetrically relative to the solar wind.
When the magnetosphere is open, it allows solar wind to flow in.
But, when it closes off, it creates a shield against these particles.
The researchers suspect solar wind reconnection takes place upstream of Uranus’s magnetosphere at different latitudes, causing magnetic flux to close in various parts.
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