Uranus and Mars — the Party Goes On
Once you've found Mars, aim your binoculars at the bright planet, focus sharply and then star-hop down to Uranus. One Jan. 30, 5.5° separate the two planets, equal to one binocular field of view. I've marked their positions on two dates — Jan. 30 and Feb. 15. There are no stars of similar brightness near Uranus, so it should be easy to identify. Stellarium with additions by the author Back on Jan. 20, Mars and Uranus were in conjunction just 1.6° apart, a fine time to use a bright planet to find a faint one. I wanted to share the news at the time but got caught up in other things. Soon after, the bright moon made finding Uranus difficult. Now that dark skies have returned, let's give it another shake. Starting Jan. 30, the moon rises after the end of evening twilight, providing the window of darkness we need. For the next few nights (Jan. 30 - Feb. 2) Mars shines within 5-7° of Uranus, close enough to star-hop from the brighter planet to the fainter with a pair of binocula