2:15 PM | *Uranus visible tonight...meteor shower this weekend...Saturn early next week*

The bluish hue of Uranus is due to methane in its atmosphere

Overview
The seventh planet from the sun, Uranus, will actually reach its closest point of the year tonight in its orbit to Earth as it “reaches opposition” (i.e., directly opposite the sun).  As a result, the icy planet will be visible as a blue-green dot tonight through binoculars and perhaps even with the naked eye if you’re in a dark location.  

Sky chart may be helpful in finding the seventh planet, Uranus, tonight in the Pisces constellation (southeast sky)

Uranus
Uranus will be visible tonight in the Pisces constellation (southeast sky) as it makes its closest approach this year to Earth.  Uranus is a gas planet and has the third largest diameter in the solar system and uniquely rotates on a tilt.  The seventh planet sits on average about 3 billion kilometers from the sun and its bluish hue comes from methane in the planet’s atmosphere. The planet is believed to have a rocky core, surrounded by a layer of liquid water and ammonia, encased in a coat of frozen hydrogen and helium. Uranus is also the only planet in the solar system to be named after a Greek god, unlike its brothers and sisters named after the Roman pantheon. Astronomers say that Uranus generally appears in telescopes as “a very small blob with pallid green color”.  Large telescopes, however, can reveal some of the biggest moons including Titania, Ariel and Oberon – all of which should be in favorable positions for viewing later tonight, clear of the planet’s glare.  

Skies are now clear in the Mid-Atlantic region and clouds should not be a problem for late night viewing; image courtesy Penn State eWall

Meteor shower, Saturn
The view of Uranus is just one of the celestial spectacles coming this month.  One of the year's best sky shows will peak this weekend when the Orionid meteor shower reaches its best viewing. The meteors that streak across the sky are some of the fastest and brightest among meteor showers, because the Earth is hitting a stream of particles almost head on. The particles come from Comet 1P/Halley, better known as Halley’s Comet. This famous comet swings by Earth every 75 to 76 years, and as the icy comet makes its way around the sun, it leaves behind a trail of comet crumbsIn addition, Saturn will appear in just a few days sitting above the moon on October 23 and then just below it on October 24.  

Meteorologist Paul Dorian
Vencore, Inc.
vencoreweather.com