Technology news and Jobs arrow Science arrow Have you seen Uranus recently?
Have you seen Uranus recently? E-mail
by Davey Winder   
Saturday, 04 October 2008
No seriously, stop sniggering at the back, have you? Apparently this week is the best time to go looking for Uranus without the use of a telescope...

Wikipedia assures me that Uranus is not only the seventh planet from the Sun, as well as being the third-largest planet in the solar system, but is also named in honour of the father of Kronos and grandfather of Zeus.

However, if you need someone to fill the gap as far as knowledge of Uranus is concerned, then Joe Rao is your man. He reveals that not only can you see Uranus without a telescope, but this week is a great time to go do just that.

Writing at Space.com, Joe argues that with a waxing moon the dark nights needed have arrived, and with the evening skies being clear as well it's planet spotting perfection. All you need is a pair of binoculars and the patience of a saint.

None of which means jack, of course, unless you know where Uranus is located. Now I will readily admit that I could not find Uranus with both hands and a map, however Joe comes to the rescue once more.

"Uranus, currently shining at magnitude +5.7, is now visible during the evening hours among the stars of Aquarius, the Water Carrier" he says. Well, that's that mystery solved then.

And so it was I decided against spending my nights squinting into space for a glimpse of Uranus, and instead rather predictably set about compiling the 'Top Five Schoolboy Humour Facts About Uranus.'

  1. Uranus is four times bigger than the Earth
  2. Uranus is a gas giant
  3. Uranus has wind blowing at 645 kilometers an hour
  4. Uranus was probed by Voyager in 1986
  5. Uranus appears blue because of the methane that surrounds it

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