Look to the skies and catch a glimpse of the very distant ice giant of our Solar System, Uranus. Tonight, October 19, the blue-green dot Uranus, will be at its closest point to Earth since 1963. It will be 1.7 billion miles from Earth, as opposed to its most distant 2 billion miles.

 

“Uranus will reach opposition on October 19th. It's visible all night long and its blue-green color is unmistakable. It may be bright enough to see with your naked eye--and for sure in binoculars.”

 

“Uranus reaches opposition October 19. It then lies directly opposite the Sun in our sky, so it remains visible all night. It also lies closest to Earth at opposition, rendering it as bright as possible.”

 

“The seventh planet from the sun with the third largest diameter in our solar system, Uranus is very cold and windy. The ice giant is surrounded by 13 faint rings and 27 small moons as it rotates at a nearly 90-degree angle from the plane of its orbit. This unique tilt makes Uranus appear to spin on its side, orbiting the sun like a rolling ball.”

 

“With a radius of 15,759.2 miles (25,362 kilometers), Uranus is 4 times wider than Earth. If Earth was the size of a nickel, Uranus would be about as big as a softball.”

 

Uranus will be about 60° above the southern horizon at its peak, around 1 a.m.

 

Also, this week, watch for the Orionid meteor shower, peaking on Friday, October 20

 

Uranus has 2 sets of rings and 27 known moons. Find out more about this very interesting planet!

 

And yes, you're pronouncing it wrong.

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