Planet Uranus easy to find on Jan 20th, says NASA

[Roger E. Moore]

NASA: You're about to get a rare chance to spot elusive planet Uranus. Uranus is usually faint, but the moon and Mars will help guide your eyes on Jan. 20. You'll need binoculars or a telescope to aid in your hunt for Uranus, but NASA says Jan. 20 represents an "easy opportunity" to spot it. Wait for the sun to go down and then look for the crescent moon a couple of hours after dark. From the moon, look up and find Mars, which has a reddish-orange glow. "Scan your way over from Mars toward the moon, and you should be able to find the faint, bluish disk of Uranus," NASA says. (sky maps provided)

https://www.cnet.com/news/nasa-youre...planet-uranus/

[Trebuchet]

Must ... resist ... stupid ... joke!

[Centaur]

Must ... resist ... stupid ... joke!

[publiusr]

(Cue Doomsday Machine/Amok Time theme) from 'Trek.

You can fight it, Treb'! We're counting on you...

[Roger E. Moore]

NASA: You're about to get a rare chance to spot elusive planet Uranus. Uranus is usually faint, but the moon and Mars will help guide your eyes on Jan. 20. You'll need binoculars or a telescope to aid in your hunt for Uranus, but NASA says Jan. 20 represents an "easy opportunity" to spot it. Wait for the sun to go down and then look for the crescent moon a couple of hours after dark. From the moon, look up and find Mars, which has a reddish-orange glow. "Scan your way over from Mars toward the moon, and you should be able to find the faint, bluish disk of Uranus," NASA says. (sky maps provided)

https://www.cnet.com/news/nasa-youre...planet-uranus/

Here's hoping weather cooperates and telescopes/binoculars are ready to go! Eager to hear if anyone spots the planet.

[21st Century Schizoid Man]

Must ... resist ... stupid ... joke!

If you are a fan of Futurama, you know that astronomers will kill off that stupid joke by renaming the planet Urectum.

[Roger E. Moore]

The Moon, Mars and Uranus will make a close approach, passing within 4°38' of each other. The Moon will be 8 days old. From Ann Arbor, the trio will be visible in the evening sky, becoming accessible around 17:52 (EST) as the dusk sky fades, 60° above your south-eastern horizon. They will then reach their highest point in the sky at 18:45, 62° above your southern horizon. They will continue to be observable until around 01:00, when they sink below 8° above your western horizon. The Moon will be at mag -11.9; Mars will be at mag 0.2; and Uranus will be at mag 5.8. The trio will lie in the constellation Aries. They will be too widely separated to fit within the field of view of a telescope, but will be visible to the naked eye or through a pair of binoculars.

https://in-the-sky.org/news.php?id=20210121_15_100

[Trebuchet]

I should take a peek this evening if it isn't cloudy. But it almost certainly will be cloudy.

[21st Century Schizoid Man]

I didn't find it easy at all. Too cloudy.

[schlaugh]

I found Uranus a few days ago with binoculars but I’ll look again tonight if we have clear skies.

[DonM435]

Back, maybe 1974, Uranus was seen slowly moving midway between two sixth-magnitude stars (i.e., of brightness comparable to the planet). I remember that I could easily locate Spica, look to the right of it in binoculars, and note the shifting position of the middle "star" of the trio. I was thus able to locate it every night for weeks.

[Noclevername]

Must ... resist ... stupid ... joke!

Resist it... With both hands.

[Roger E. Moore]

In case it helps, here is, I swear I am not joking, the "69 News" with "See Uranus Wednesday with your own eyes: Here's how".

https://www.wfmz.com/news/feature-be...db8728fbb.html

I wish I was paid to write headlines like that.

[Noclevername]

In case it helps, here is, I swear I am not joking, the "69 News" with "See Uranus Wednesday with your own eyes: Here's how".

https://www.wfmz.com/news/feature-be...db8728fbb.html

I wish I was paid to write headlines like that.

With a mirror??

OK, that was my last joke I swear.