Challenge No. 6
Naked eye observation of Uranus!
I mentioned earlier that Uranus can be seen naked eye. I've seen it on many occasions myself.
So, the challenge is to do it yourself!
Reckon it's easy? Here's what you need:
* Mk 1 pair of eyeballs - no telescope or binos - eyeglasses permitted...
* Dark site - Uranus shines at around magnitude 5.8, so forget seeing it from Sydney's CBD...
* Good transparency - this is the deal maker/breaker! You may be under the darkest of skies, with no light pollution anywhere other than that created by the stars themselves. But unless the sky is VERY TRANSPARENT, you won't stand a chance. Transparency is how clear and clean the atmosphere is. Any hint of mist or fog (heavy dew is a tell-tale sign of dodgy transparency), smoke, dust, or any other type of haze inducing muck, then the sky will lack transparency, and the faintest stars that are actually visible will not be. Being able to see Uranus naked eye is a good indicator of good transparency.
TIP: If you manage a night and site that ticks all of the three conditions above, you will also be able to see star fainter than Uranus, even pushing magnitude 7.
With Uranus being visible naked eye, it means 7 out of our Solar System's planets are visible naked eye.
There are many good apps that will show the current location of all the planets, some of which are also free.
Have a shot!
Alex.