All that website is telling me is to see an optometrist!

Bizarre,

Dave

 

Uranus is pretty easy to see with any optical aid why I've even spied it in my Zeiss mini quick 5x10 monocular naked eye however is an entirely different matter.the trick is to locate it first using an optical aid,the reverse off all the other naked eye planets!,then look at the spot naked eye.problem is telling Uranus apart from all the faint stars.I go on the following theory if you can see stars of similar magnitude you've seen Uranus naked eye you just can't say which of those stars it was/is!cheating? No other way in my view?!

 

It's best when it's near something you can easily locate (unless you have a GOTO). It's distinctly not a star, you will need at least a 200mm aperture to see anything more than a tiny blue disc though.

 

It doesn't move much and last year it was, and still is, in Pisces, it was near two of Pisces brighter stars....about 5th mag..Uranus was a bit dimmer than those stars. I,under dark skies, located the stars with a small monocular then checked that I could see them naked eye,located Uranus with the monocular then checked the area naked eye.yes it is visible but the naked eye lacks the resolution being 0x magnifcation (a pair of 0x5 binoculars!) So you can't tell which of the dim stars is Uranus but it's one of them!Neptune is not naked eye,I think my Zeiss mini quick 5x10 would fail to pick it up but I've had it in 8x25.

 

Yeah, but I like to wait until it's a few degrees away from something easy to recognise. I'm basically lazy. Lol

 

I remember seeing it like this. Venus and Mars virtually pointed to it lol.

 

I'll bet you know it when you see it. It projects a "HERE I AM!" beacon when it hits the eye(s).*

Dave


* For you Bino-Viewer fans.

 

Hey Pleiades? It's too hot here to remember my own name, but I apologive if I've already asked you this: Do you have a good 'Planetarium-Program' software-program yet - like Stellarium or Cartes de Ciel? You can easily print out sky-charts of the nighttime-sky to help you find things like Uranus with these. And get it set to show you the views you'll see through your telescope and your own eyepieces.

Many find this very helpful. Such software-programs can cost you upwards of $200 - $300. But both Stellarium and CdC are completely free. If you don't have such - let us know? Mak or I would be happy to direct you to such if you'd like - <nudge> Right, Mak?

Dave

 

I've spied it in binoculars before, but nothing struck me like the first time I saw it through a telescope. I was using my 180mm Mak at the time and marvelled at the perfect little blue-green disc. Very unstar-like. But I needed a telescope to really appreciate its beauty. As mentioned by fellow ACers, software like Stellarium and using nearby guide stars definitely help in finding it. Fortunately, it doesn't move much from year to year (much less night to night, lol).
Here is an image I took this past February when Uranus was in conjunction with Mars:

Best wishes with your quest! I anticipate your impressions.
Reggie

 

Nice picture Reggie.

 

Thanks, Mak. It was an opportunity I couldn't miss

 

Yeah, that's what I liked about the February conjunction, it was easy to find Uranus lol.

 

Hey, Mak, your avatar looks like my backyard!

 

I think we've got pretty similar back yards lol.

 

Thanks, Pleiades. It's one of my prized scopes; my skywalking Astroview 6.
Hey, buddy, did you ever spot Uranus?

 

Yeh, I had to do a double take when I really focused on your avatar. Is that my backyard? Did somebody gift me a new scope? LOL! Nice scope by the way. Is that the Skywatcher 130?