- My astronomy blog, Southern Hemisphere Sky Events

See Uranus tonight using only binoculars!

(Posted 22 November 2015) While the planet Uranus may be located far from the Earth in the outer solar system, its large size means it is bright enough to be found in binoculars if you know where to look.

Venus, Mars and Jupiter finder chart. Chart prepared for 8:30 pm AEST / 9:30 pm AEDT on Sunday 22 November 2015 for Canberra, ACT (but will be also useful for elsewhere in Eastern Australia). Chart prepared using the highly recommended Sky Safari Pro tablet app. Used with permission.
Moon and Uranus finder chart. Chart prepared for 8:30 pm AEST / 9:30 pm AEDT on Sunday 22 November 2015 for Canberra, ACT (but will be also useful for elsewhere in Eastern Australia). Chart prepared using the highly recommended Sky Safari Pro tablet app. Used with permission.

Tonight, the Earth’s Moon will be located close enough to Uranus so that you can use it as a celestial signpost to show where you look for Uranus. Just start by pointing your binoculars near the Moon and star hop your way to Uranus using the above chart.

A couple of tips. Firstly don’t point your binoculars at the Moon. It will be very bright and looking at it will destroy whatever night vision you have for a very long time! Secondly when you arrive at Uranus, don’t expect to see a planet. In binoculars, I see Uranus as appearing like a faint star with a blueish tinge to it. In fact, even when I have looked at Uranus through a high powered telescope, the best that I can see is a tiny blueish disc.

Clear skies and good luck.

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