Uranus now seen with naked eye

Uranus, the seventh planet from the sun and third largest in the solar system, can now be seen with the naked eye in the southwestern horizon, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

"Under favorable conditions, Uranus will be seen after sunset among the stars of constellation Aquarius. It will be glowing at magnitude positive 5.9," PAGASA said.

Uranus, discovered by English astronomer William Herschel in 1781, has an equatorial diameter of 51,800 kilometers or 32,190 miles. As it is 2.87 billion kilometers away from the sun, it orbits the sun once every 84.01 Earth years but rotates on its axis once every 17 hours and 14 minutes.

This blue-green planet has at least 22 moons. Its two largest moons, Titania and Oberon, were also discovered by Herschel in 1787.

Apart from Uranus, the sky — from night till dawn — is speckled with other planets visible to the naked eye: Mars at magnitude positive 0.3 near the Pleaides star clusters, the ringed Saturn at magnitude negative 0.2 among the stars of the constellation Cancer, Jupiter at magnitude negative 2.1 in the constellation Libra in the east-southeastern horizon.

But the brightest point of light in the sky at dawn this month is the planet Venus, also called the "morning star" and "Luciferus, the fallen angel."

"Venus will rise at about two hours before the sun and will continue to climb higher in the Eastern horizon throughout the month," PAGASA said.

Venus will be shining brilliantly at magnitude negative 4 among the stars of the constellation Sagittarius, PAGASA added. — Felix delos Santos