SkyEye

The chart shows the path of Uranus across the background stars over the course of the year. Stars to magnitude +9.5 are shown. The white circles represent the planet on the first day of the month and are scaled according to apparent magnitude. The faint paths before the first circle and after the last circle represent the planet's positions in December of last year and January of next. In general, the planet moves from right to left except when it's in retrograde and proceding in the opposite direction.

The lower chart shows how the appearance of Uranus changes over the year. Below each image is listed the date, the apparent magnitude, the apparent diameter of the disk (in arc-seconds) and the geocentric distance (in au). Because the relative distance of Uranus does not greatly vary throughout the year, neither does its appearance through a telescope.

Uranus hovers around sixth magnitude so it is best viewed with some kind of optical aid. It starts the year in the relatively faint constellation of Aries, passing close by sixth-magnitude star 53 Arietis in March. A rare event occurs the next month, on 21 April, when Uranus and Jupiter are in conjunction. These two planets were last found together in 2010–2011 when they participated in a triple conjunction and the next meeting between them will be another triple in 2037–2038. Uranus is visible in the evening sky at the beginning of the year. The green ice giant is gradually lost in the western twilight in April, with conjunction occuring in May. Afterwards it is found in the morning sky, rising ever earlier and appearing before midnight by the end of July. Opposition takes place in mid-November.

All times and dates are in UT. Positions are geocentric apparent places, referred to the true equator and equinox of date.