The Planet Uranus Visible This Week

SAN ANGELO, TX – Stargazers will be able to spot our seventh planet this week without the use of a telescope, as long as they know where to look!

According to Space.com, Uranus will be visible between the hours of 11:30 p.m. and 4 a.m. within the constellation Aries and left of Mars as the planet will appear as a "tiny, blue-green featureless disk" in the night sky later this week.

The planet will be visible to the naked eye, as it will still be relatively dim compared to everything else illuminating the night sky, but thankfully we're approaching the new moon on Sept. 17, which means Uranus won't have to compete with moonlight.

According to NASA, Uranus is currently approximately 1.77 billion miles away from Earth, although Uranus will be slightly visible with the naked eye, binoculars or even a small spotting scope will be even more helpful to enhance viewer experience.

The planet is currently located within the constellation of Aries, the Ram, about twelve degrees to the east (left) of the brilliant planet Mars. It's already one-third up from the eastern horizon by 11:30 p.m. local daylight time and will reach its highest point, more than two thirds up from the southern horizon, just before 4 a.m.

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It is best to study the accompanying chart first, then scan the viewing region with binoculars. Using a magnification of 150-power with a telescope of at least three-inch aperture, viwers should be able to resolve the image into a tiny, blue-green featureless disk. 

Space.com recommends viewers look at a star chart before attempting to find the planet.

So, get yourself to a dark spot and look closely because Uranus will only be visible for a few days!