All right, all right, you lot. Let’s get the laughter about Uranus out the way first, because this is actually quite exciting.
The usually shy milky-green gas giant is set to show in skies across the world tomorrow night (Thursday) - and we’re hopeful that eagle-eyed Glasgow stargazers will be able to catch a swatch too.
The planet - which is the seventh away from the sun - will reach opposition, meaning it will be directly opposite the sun, bringing it closer to Earth than at any other time of the year.
As an added bonus, it will also be brighter than usual.
If you’re not quite sure how to catch a glimpse, according to National Geographic: “Start looking in the southeast sky within the constellation Pisces, the fish.
“Scan the constellation carefully, and look for a tiny blue-green disk to pop out against the background of fainter stars.”
READ MORE: A look back at when the Nibiru solar eclipse was to bring about end of the world last month
And if you don’t know where to find Pisces, we recommend an app called SkyView which we’re sure you will find to be more than helpful.
Uranus has a diameter four times that of Earth and is wrapped in an atmosphere of hydrogen and helium. A dash of methane gives it an very pretty blue tint.
Happy gazing!
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here