Uranus will be visible to the naked eye tonight – here’s the best time to spot it

Uranus will be visible from Earth

From 11:30pm onwards, stargazers should be able to spot the icy world in the night sky, if those pesky clouds can stay away.

The reason that Uranus will be on display is thanks to a phenomenon known as opposition.

This is where the Earth manages to position itself between Uranus and the sun, meaning the seventh planet in our solar system is the closest to us in the year.

Because light from the sun reflects off a planet when it is at opposition, this mean it appears at its brightest in our skies.

Uranus is always at opposition around mid-November and will appear as a faint star in our skies despite being some 1.6 billion miles from us.

The Royal Observatory Greenwich said: "If you get a chance to stargaze from a less light-polluted area and if the weather is on your side, you will be able to spot it.

"If not, you will be able to see it with a telescope, if you have access to one. 

"Through a telescope, Uranus appears as a lightly green-tinted disk, and you might even be able to spot some of its moons!"

The new moon tonight will make the sky darker, which should help people spot Uranus.

Lying in the constellation Aries, the planet will become visible at around 11:29pm when it rises to 21 degrees over the Eastern horizon, according to In the Sky.

Uranus will reach its highest point in the sky at around 04:37am before it disappears from view at 04:44am.

Uranus is four times as wide as Earth, and is the seventh furthest planet from the sun.

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