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Uranus is weird. It’s unlike any other planet in our solar system for a number of reasons, but its most bizarre feature is that it rotates at a roughly 90-degree angle to all the other planets. Scientists believe that its strange orientation is due to an impact that the planet sustained early in its life, but they’re just beginning to understand how this particular circumstance is affecting the planet on a day-to-day basis. In a new paper published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, scientists explain that, based on models of the planet and its magnetosphere, it’s likely that the...

You might not need a telescope to spot Uranus tonight. The ice giant planet will reach opposition on Thursday, bringing it to the closest point in its orbit to Earth. In this position, the blue-green planet will be visible in the sky all night long – and, while you’ll definitely be able to see it with binoculars, NASA says Uranus may even be bright enough to see with the naked eye.

Consider the discovery of Uranus. While this planet had been viewed on many occasions by astronomers in the past, it was only with the birth of modern astronomy that its true nature came to be understood. And with William Herschel‘s discovery in the 18th century, the planet would come to be officially named and added to the list of known Solar Planets. The first recorded instance of Uranus being spotted in the night sky is believed to date back to the 2nd century [sic] BCE. At this time, Hipparchos – the Greek astronomer, mathematician and founder of trigonometry – apparently...