In May, Uranus is among the faint stars of Aquarius. Patient observers will find this distant planet low in the southeast at sunrise. Uranus will find itself very close to Jupiter by this summer when they come into close conjunction with each other. In a modest size telescope, Uranus gives itself away by its distinctive blue-green color. A little bit of magnification reveals the disk of the planet. It is obvious that this thing is not a star, although William Herschel did not know what he was looking at 225 years ago when he was the first person to notice its orbital motion. For the longest time, he wasn't sure his new discovery wasn't a comet.

    Here is some help to find this planet.


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Updated May 3, 2010