Event Date: September 12th
Time: 10:00 PM
Brief
Uranus is nearing opposition: rising in Cetus near the Pisces border during mid-evening twilight and placed high enough to search for shortly before the listed time here. Remember to wait until it gets high enough out of atmospheric pollution if you want to see the bluish-green color which makes the planet unique. Similar to Neptune further out, Uranus is made up of methane and ammonia gases. With a strong enough telescope, Uranus' disc shape can be observed, as opposed to looking like just a non-twinkling star. Try magnifying around 200x minimum, as the disc size is less than 4 arc-seconds. First, I will show the position relative to the horizon, in the east-southeast
Time: 10:00 PM
Brief
Uranus is nearing opposition: rising in Cetus near the Pisces border during mid-evening twilight and placed high enough to search for shortly before the listed time here. Remember to wait until it gets high enough out of atmospheric pollution if you want to see the bluish-green color which makes the planet unique. Similar to Neptune further out, Uranus is made up of methane and ammonia gases. With a strong enough telescope, Uranus' disc shape can be observed, as opposed to looking like just a non-twinkling star. Try magnifying around 200x minimum, as the disc size is less than 4 arc-seconds. First, I will show the position relative to the horizon, in the east-southeast
Detailed
As we get closer to opposition, we see Uranus for about 4 more minutes in the sky each night. By the time opposition happens, the Sun and Uranus will be close in declination, with the Sun a little closer to the celestial equator. Uranus is about 2.2º north while the Sun is quickly moving to the celestial equator, for the September equinox. I bring this up, because it is a rare time that we have an opposition this close to an equinox; it was a little closer last year when Uranus was also a little closer to the celestial meridian; just past where the Sun is at the vernal equinox in late March.
This second image shows Uranus with a 1º field. I have done this before, yet because of retrograde motion, the star field of Uranus has changed since a month ago. Also, keep an eye on star 44 Piscium (mag 5.8) that Uranus passed by during prograde earlier this year, and will pass again early next year. Not only is it the brightest star in this field, Uranus and it have a very close encounter coming up. Watch them carefully each evening when viewing, and try to predict which day they will be closest...and how close!
 |
| click on images to enlarge: courtesy of Starry Night Pro Plus, version 6.4.3, by Simulation Curriculum Corp. |
No comments:
Post a Comment