Watch tonight (January 21) to see Uranus and Mars hiding in the night sky – do not forget your binoculars.
Yesterday (January 20) on the inauguration day in the USA, the two planets were connected, which means that they appeared very close to the sky. Tonight the planets share the same ‘true ascension’, with Mars passing just 1.75 degrees north of Uranus, according to Earthsky.org. (Your fist held at arm’s length covers about 10 degrees of air.) The moon will also shine in the perimeter, making it a good beacon to start from if you are looking for the planets.
Uranus, the seventh planet in our solar system, orbiting 2.9 billion kilometers from the sun, will be at a magnitude of 5.8 in the sky. Meanwhile, Mars, the fourth planet from the sun, orbiting at an average distance of ‘just’ 233.1 million miles (231.1 million km), will be visible with a strength of 0.2.
The brightest planets in the night sky of January: how to see them (and when)
The lower the magnitude of a cosmic object, the brighter it is (there are even seriously bright objects with negative sizes), so Mars will be significantly brighter than Uranus. Although Uranus will be difficult to spot, both will still be visible through binoculars, although the planets will be too far apart to fit within a telescope’s field of view, according to in-the-sky.org.
To try to find Uranus, you must first find the crescent moon and the Red Planet within a few hours after dark. Move away from Mars to the moon, and you will find the faint blue disk of Uranus, ” NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory said in his monthly “What’s Up” skywatching series.
While Uranus and Mars are going to present this show in the night sky, they are not the only planets hanging out tonight. Both Jupiter and Saturn are still officially in the evening sky, although the light from the setting sun makes it invisible, according to Earthsky.org.
Email Chelsea Gohd at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @chelsea_gohd. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.