The Position of Uranus in the Night Sky: 2019 to 2032 by Martin J. Powell A fter having spent almost nine years positioned in the constellation of Pisces, the Fishes, Uranus entered Aries, the Ram, in April 2018.
What constellation is uranus in?
But Uranus is currently shining at magnitude +5.7, relatively dim on the scale; barely visible by a keen naked eye on very dark, clear nights. It is currently located within the constellation of Aries, the Ram, about a dozen degrees to the east (left) of the brilliant planet Mars.
Where is Uranus in the sky?
This week will be a fine time to try and seek it out, especially since it is now favorably placed for viewing in our late-evening sky and the bright moon is out of the way. This sky map shows where Uranus will be located around midnight on Sept. 13-14, as seen from New York City. Look for it in the constellation of Aries, the ram.
Another common question is “What stars are closest to Uranus?”.
This chart shows the approximate position for Uranus relative to the Aries stars 19 Aretis (abbreviated 19 Ari on chart) and HD 12479. Use these stars (which are about the same brightness as Uranus) to find Uranus, whose blue-green color may contrast to the reddish hue of the star HD 12479. Sky chart via IAU.
This begs the query “What is the closest star to Uranus?”
The star in the 10 o’clock position in the circle is Mu Ceti, the closest of the circle stars to Uranus. Uranus is 5 degrees (or 3 fingers held at arm’s length) to the upper left, or northwest, of Mu Ceti. Uranus is in Aries in 2020 and 2021, tracing out a path near the circle that marks the head of Cetus.
Use these stars (which are about the same brightness as Uranus) to find Uranus, whose blue-green color may contrast to the reddish hue of the star HD 12479. Sky chart via IAU. Of course, the moon and Uranus are only close together on the sky’s dome, not in space.
A good familiarity with Aries is your ticket to locating this faint world. For a detailed sky chart of Aries, click on The Sky Live; and for a sky chart showing Uranus’ position from 2019 to 2032, click on Naked Eye Planets.
In 2021, the 7th planet Uranus reaches opposition on November 4-5 (November 5 at about 00:00 UTC ). The planet is theoretically visible to the eye alone, but requires a dark sky to be seen. In 2021, the Head of the Whale in the constellation Cetus – 5 stars in a pentagon – is near Uranus on the sky’s dome.
Uranus is also one of just two planets that rotate in the opposite direction than most of the planets (Venus is the other one), from east to west. Uranus is one of two ice giants in the outer solar system (the other is Neptune).
Where is the double star Zeta Reticuli?
The double star Zeta Reticuli is located in the western part of the small Reticulum constellation, about 25 ′ from the constellation’s border with Horologium.
While researching we ran into the query “Is Zeta Ret a binary star?”.
Zeta Reticuli (Zeta Ret, ζ Reticuli, ζ Ret) is the Bayer designation for a wide binary star system, Zeta 1 Reticuli and Zeta 2 Reticuli, located in the southern constellation of Reticulum.
Zeta 1 Reticuli and Zeta 2 Reticuli are only visible from latitudes south of about 25° North Latitude at a distance of 39.5 light-years (12 parsecs) from the Sun. From the southern hemisphere the pair can be seen as a naked eye double star in very dark skies. Zeta 2 Reticuli is orbited by a circumstellar debris disk.
The most usefull answer is: zeta Reticuli is a binary star system that can be found in the constellation of Reticulum and is visible in the night sky from the southern hemisphere.