Tonight – October 19, 2017 – the planet Uranus, the 7th planet outward from the sun, is at opposition. In other words, our planet Earth in its smaller, faster orbit swings in between the sun and Uranus today, placing Uranus opposite the sun in our sky.
Because Uranus is opposite the sun, Uranus rises in the east at sunset, climbs highest up for the night at midnight (midway between sunset and sunrise) and sets in the west at sunrise. Not only does Uranus stay out all night long, but this world is now coming closest to Earth for the year and shining at its brightest best in our sky.
But even at its brightest, Uranus is still quite faint. It is barely perceptible as a dim speck of light to the unaided eye. At a magnitude of 5.68, Uranus shines no more brilliantly than the sky's faintest stars. Given a dark sky free of light pollution, you might see Uranus with the eye alone – but only if you know right where to look for this distant world in front of the rather faint constellation, Pisces.
As good fortune would have it, this year the new moon – a moon most nearly between the Earth and sun for this month – falls on October 19, too, at nearly the same hour that Uranus reaches opposition.
Source: earthsky.org
takyon: The opposition peaks during the day in the U.S. (October 19, 17:21 UTC), so maybe try it on both nights.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Thursday October 19 2017, @10:02AM (3 children)
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 1) by aristarchus on Thursday October 19 2017, @10:20AM (2 children)
So you are saying if we could just make the earth's atmosphere into a transparent layer of crystal clear gas, all those street lights and stadium lights and my neighbor's porch lights would not make any difference it the seeing conditions for astronomy? Methinks that only some of the diffraction of the light pollution is due to human pollution of the air, and much more could be done by lessening the amount of light pollution, even though reducing "air" pollution might be a good thing on other grounds. So I have to disagree with you, FatPhil! As do most amateur astronomers.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Thursday October 19 2017, @12:04PM (1 child)
Some of the best stargazing I've ever done (I'm a city boy, I know all about causes of light pollution, and jump on any opportunities to get away from same), was right next to a military base in the countryside. Sure, behind the woods was a really bright glow that just barely poked over the artificial horizon created by the trees, but the vast majority of the sky had the clearest pinpoints I've ever seen.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by aristarchus on Thursday October 19 2017, @06:01PM
Sure we have. They are called "light pollution domes". My point is that the light of light pollution is the more amenable component. Some of the "scatter" is natural and not due to human caused air pollution.