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How to see Uranus without a telescope as planet nears earth

Posted at 11:02 PM, Oct 19, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-19 23:02:07-04

WASHINGTON – Uranus will be visible without using a telescope on Thursday night.

NASA says the seventh planet from the sun will be clearly visible because it reaches opposition – which just means the planet is opposite the sun in our sky and at the closet point to Earth.

"It's visible all night long and its blue-green color is unmistakeable. It may be bright enough to see with your naked eye — and for sure in binoculars," according to NASA.

You’ll be able to find the blue-green planet by looking toward the southeast within the constellation Pisces, the fish, National Geographic reports.

Scientists say the planet should be brighter than the fainter stars around it.

NASA says Uranus will be visible all month long, but the best opportunities come up on Nov. 4 and Nov. 30.

Uranus has the third largest diameter in our solar system and is four times wider than Earth. In perspective, if Earth was the size of a nickel, Uranus would be about as big as a softball, according to NASA.

The next time Uranus will be in opposition will be on Oct. 23, 2018.