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Old 06-12-2011, 03:31 PM
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mental4astro (Alexander)
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mental4astro is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: sydney, australia
Posts: 5,005
G'day Ibrahim,

Chasing down Uranus and Neptune isn't a problem for a 12" scope. I've managed it in an 8", and Uranus was visible in binoculars from my home. Neptune should be visible & recognisable from urban areas, though with a scope rather than binos.

This I've copied from my reply to a similar thread in the Beginners forum:


"Sky and Telescope magazine also produces a finder chart for both Uranus and Neptune that can be printed. I don't take a computer with me, only charts, so this one is just fine for me:

2011 Uranus and Neptune finder chart

Note in spotting Neptune, you won't see a disk with it. Its tell-tale signature is its very intense blue colour which is too deep to be a star.

Uranus has a tiny disk, but it is featureless and really, really tiny, even at high power. But the disk is there and is noticably larger than the pin prick that a star is. Its more distinguishing feature is its colour too, Uranus being a pale greeny-blue. Some folks see it as being more green, others more blue - colour perception is very subjective.

Both of these planets are close to each other in the sky right now."


The Uranian and Neptunian moon present a real challenge. Neptunes are just about invisible to amateur instruments, while Uranus has upto 4 that are visible. BUT, keep in mind that they are real faint. I believe that there are charts to help find them, Stellarium may be one such tool. Triton, Neptune's largest moon, is a dim object at magnitude 13.5.

Let us know how you go.
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