Uranus, the 8th planet from the Sun, is an elusive giant. This pale blue-green orb can be seen naked-eye but only when the
sky is dark and moonless and then just barely. Looking more like a dim star, our ancestors didn't realize it was a planet until William Herschel studied it with his telescope in 1781.
In binoculars, Uranus is a fairly easy target. Compared to a star, it will appear a bit larger, fuzzier, and with a slightly blue-green cast. In telescopes under high power, a featureless disk may be seen. Although Uranus has 27 moons, they are small, dim and not easily seen. Four are possible targets: Titania and Oberon might be glimpsed with a medium-sized telescope, while Umbriel and Ariel need large telescopes.
Uranus is twenty times further from the Sun than Earth and takes 84 years to orbit the Sun. So it moves very slowly in Earth's sky taking about seven years to move from one constellation of the zodiac to the next.
2024 Calendar
* Constellation: Aries/Taurus. Toggle the image above to see how to find Uranus.
* Best viewing time for the year: around opposition on November 16 (only slightly better)
* Worst viewing time for the year: around superior conjunction on May 13
* Best viewing time for each month (mid-month):
From a very dark, moonless location, look for a dim, bluish-green point of light on the ecliptic at the precise location shown. To confirm, use binoculars or a telescope to better see the color. No features or moons will be visible even in a telescope.
Uranus (January, 2024) 
