See Uranus In NYC Tonight — And You Won’t Need A Telescope

NEW YORK, NY — The planet Uranus will be at its closest point to Earth Thursday night as it reaches opposition with the sun — meaning it will be bathed in light — and weather conditions in New York are near perfect for viewing.

The planet should be visible to the naked eye. The ice giant’s blue-green color is unmistakable and skywatchers should be able to see it throughout the month of October, experts said.

Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun and the third largest in the solar system. It floats in front of the constellation Pisces the Fishes and hasn’t been this close to Earth since February 1963. It reaches its peak at 1 a.m.

(For more neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch for daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Also See: Scientists Witness Huge Star Collision That Is Helping Astronomers Uncover Cosmic Secrets

The weather Thursday night seems to be cooperating in the city with skies expected to be clear.

Though you should be able to see Uranus just using your eyes, you still may want to use binoculars or a telescope for the best views, according to Astronomy magazine.

Uranus is named for the ancient Greek deity of the heavens, the earliest supreme god. It was discovered in 1781 by William Herschel as he scanned the sky with his telescope, though it previously had been seen and dismissed as a star. Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to have visited the planet, on Jan. 24, 1986.

Uranus isn’t the only planet you’ll be able to see this month, according to NASA. Mars and Venus are also visible in the pre-dawn sky. Again, you may want to use binoculars because the sun will be approaching and could blot out the best views.

SKYWATCHER EXTRA: Orionid Meteor Shower: Peak Dates Oct. 20-22

October is a banner month for skywatchers. The annual Orionid meteor shower also peaks in the predawn hours, starting Friday and continuing through Sunday. The meteors — some of the fastest and brightest produced by any showers this year — will continue to fly through Nov. 7 as Earth hits a stream of debris left behind by Halley’s Comet head-on.

You should be able to see at least 10 to 20 meteors an hour, and perhaps as many as 30. In some years, the shower delivers up to 80 meteors an hour.

Written by Beth Dalbey (Patch National Staff), with additional reporting by Michael Woyton/Patch Staff.

Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech