I am excited about the coming weekend. I love the switch from Summer to Autumn. But I’m delighted to make it a special occasion by finding and observing Uranus, thanks to it’s rare and unusual close proximity to a star of nearly equal brightness in the constellation Pisces. If I had very dark skies, I might be able to see the seventh planet without aid, but binoculars will help separate the planet from the star and a telescope at 100x magnification will show even more differences between them.
Click here or a great video on how to observe Uranus this week, and for some history on the discovery of the planet by William Hershcel, with the assistance of his sister, Caroline.
I have seen Uranus, however from my home that area of sky is covered by a forest, which is annoying given i live in the country so have dark skies. On the bright side jupiter is rising and deep sky viewing is getting ever better.
Regards
Rich
http://www.astrophysicsuk.wordpress.com
I fight both tall trees and light pollution from my home. I plan to take the scope and drive away from the city this weekend.
Ciao, Jon