In search of Uranus - the azure giant of the Solar System

In search of Uranus - the azure giant of the Solar System

Amateur astronomers around the world enjoy the regular visibility of Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and even the elusive Mercury. The outer planets of the Solar System like Uranus and Neptune, however, are often overlooked.

Of course, they are harder to see, as they are located further. So the chances to consider any details are much smaller compared to other planets. However, they are worthy goals and should be accepted as a challenge, not aside.

My personal interest in Uranus, which can be seen in the west in the evening sky thanks to December and January, began when I decided to stop at its visualization. To my surprise, it was easy enough to find a CCD camera connected to the back of my telescope, and the planetary disk and its four satellites were also easily detected.

Uranus was discovered when, in the 18th century, the British astronomer William Herschel was engaged in the systematic study of stars in the night sky to identify binary stars. For two years he studied the night sky almost every night, and on March 13, 1781, he noticed a star in Taurus, which, it seemed to him, was a little different from the others. As in all careful astronomical observations, Herschel studied the same object several nights later, and noticed that he was distant from the background star. This made Herschel understand that he had discovered a new solar system object. Initially, he suspected that it was a comet, but later, his planetary nature was discovered. Obviously, a supporter of the monarchy, Herschel wanted to name the new planet Georgium SIDUS in honor of King George III, but he was officially named Uranus (a Latinized version of the Greek god of heaven Ourano).

The planet, discovered by Herschel, increased the size of the known Solar System by 5, 6 billion kilometers. Future observations showed the world more than 50 thousand kilometers in diameter and gaseous in nature. Due to the presence of ice in its atmosphere, such as ammonia and methane, Uranus is called an “ice giant”, differentiating it from Jupiter and Saturn. The presence of methane leads to the absorption of red light, and the reflection of blue light gives a stunning blue color to the planet.

In search of Uranus - the azure giant of the Solar System

Position of Uranus on January 20 from the territory of Moscow

Throughout the rest of January, Uranus can be found low in the west until sunset in the constellation Pisces. It never shines weaker than the 6th level of magnitude, which is the generally accepted limit of visibility with the naked eye from the dark side. But if you're not very obsessed with this, then binoculars are the best way to hunt when it's down. Although he may seem just a blue star in binoculars. To detect a planetary disk, an increase is needed. In my experience, an increase of about 50 times is necessary. Visually, you can see a tiny disk in Uranus. If you want to capture some of the twenty-seven moons of the planet, then the best chance is to track down visually the Oberon and Titania. They are about the 14th magnitude, but lie in a decent distance from the planet. The greater the sensitivity of the camera, the greater the chance of capturing images of elusive satellites.

For observers with smaller instruments, the greatest interest can be obtained by observing Uranus for a period of several weeks to see its slow movement against the background of glittering stars.

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