The chart shows the path of Uranus across the background stars over the course of the year. Stars to magnitude +9.5 are shown. The white circles represent the planet on the first day of the month and are scaled according to apparent magnitude. The faint paths before the first circle and after the last circle represent the planet's positions in December of last year and January of next. In general, the planet moves from right to left except when it's in retrograde and proceding in the opposite direction.
The lower chart shows how the appearance of Uranus changes over the year. Below each image is listed the date, the apparent magnitude, the apparent diameter of the disk (in arc-seconds) and the geocentric distance (in au). Because the relative distance of Uranus does not greatly vary throughout the year, neither does its appearance through a telescope.
Uranus hovers around sixth magnitude so it is best viewed with some kind of optical aid from a dark location on a moonless night. It begins the year in retrograde in the constellation of Aries. After returning to direct motion in late January, the distant planet eventually enters Taurus where it remains for the rest of the year. Uranus is an evening sky object at the beginning of 2025, setting nearer and nearer to the Sun until it finally reaches conjunction in May. It is then visible in the morning sky, not rising until evening hours until August or September. It returns to retrograde motion in September with opposition taking place in late November. The Moon keeps its distance this year, never approaching closer than 4°. Mercury is in close attendance just after conjunction with Venus passing north of the ice giant in early July. The only "bright" stars in the vicinity are the sixth-magnitude 13 Tauri and 14 Tauri which Uranus passes in May/June and again in December when the planet is in retrograde.
All times and dates are in UT with the time given to the nearest hour unless otherwise indicated. Positions are geocentric apparent places and referred to the true equator and equinox of date.
| January | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 00:00 | Aries |
| 00:00 | maximum ecliptic latitude south: −0.25° | |
| 9 | 14:00 | 4.3° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon |
| 16:00 | 4.5° (declination) south of Moon | |
| 29 | 01:00 | maximum declination south: +18° 21′ 10″ |
| 30 | 17:00 | stationary (ecliptic longitude): retrograde motion → direct motion |
| 19:00 | stationary (right ascension): retrograde motion → direct motion | |
| February | ||
| 5 | 19:00 | 4.5° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon |
| 21:00 | 4.7° (declination) south of Moon | |
| 11 | 19:00 | east quadrature |
| March | ||
| 3 | 15:00 | Aries → Taurus |
| 5 | 02:00 | 4.6° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon |
| 04:00 | 4.8° (declination) south of Moon | |
| April | ||
| 1 | 12:00 | 4.7° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon |
| 14:00 | 4.9° (declination) south of Moon | |
| 29 | 01:00 | 4.7° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon |
| 02:00 | 4.8° (declination) south of Moon | |
| May | ||
| 17 | 23:30 | conjunction (see explanation below) |
| 18 | 03:00 | maximum distance from Earth: 20.4513 au |
| 24 | 23:00 | 0.1° (declination) north of Mercury |
| 23:00 | 0.1° (ecliptic latitude) north of Mercury | |
| 26 | 14:00 | 4.7° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon |
| 16:00 | 4.9° (declination) south of Moon | |
| 27 | 11:00 | 0.2° south of the sixth-magnitude star 13 Tauri |
| June | ||
| 2 | 04:00 | 0.1° south of the sixth-magnitude star 14 Tauri |
| 23 | 02:00 | 4.8° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon |
| 04:00 | 5.0° (declination) south of Moon | |
| July | ||
| 4 | 01:00 | 2.4° (declination) north of Venus |
| 13:00 | 2.4° (ecliptic latitude) north of Venus | |
| 20 | 11:00 | 5.0° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon |
| 13:00 | 5.2° (declination) south of Moon | |
| August | ||
| 16 | 18:00 | 5.2° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon |
| 20:00 | 5.4° (declination) south of Moon | |
| 24 | 07:00 | west quadrature |
| September | ||
| 6 | 03:00 | maximum declination north: +20° 14′ 51″ |
| 05:00 | stationary (right ascension): direct motion → retrograde motion | |
| 05:00 | stationary (ecliptic longitude): direct motion → retrograde motion | |
| 13 | 00:00 | 5.3° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon |
| 02:00 | 5.4° (declination) south of Moon | |
| October | ||
| 10 | 07:00 | 5.2° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon |
| 09:00 | 5.3° (declination) south of Moon | |
| November | ||
| 6 | 15:00 | 5.1° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon |
| 17:00 | 5.2° (declination) south of Moon | |
| 21 | 10:00 | minimum distance from Earth: 18:5094 au |
| 12:30 | opposition: magnitude +5.6, apparent diameter 3.70″ | |
| December | ||
| 4 | 01:00 | 5.0° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon |
| 03:00 | 5.2° (declination) south of Moon | |
| 14 | 00:00 | 0.1° south of the sixth-magnitude star 14 Tauri |
| 22 | 09:00 | 0.2° south of the sixth-magnitude star 13 Tauri |
| 31 | 10:00 | 5.1° (ecliptic latitude) south of Moon |
| 12:00 | 5.3° (declination) south of Moon | |
| January 2026 | ||
| 1 | 00:00 | maximum ecliptic latitude north: −0.20° |
Because the orbits of the planets are tilted slightly to the plane of the ecliptic, a planet normally passes to the north or the south of the Sun at conjunction. However, if the planet is near a node (the place in the orbit where the planet crosses the ecliptic) when it reaches conjunction, the planet may appear to cross in front of or behind the disk of the Sun. This situation occurs in May when Uranus actually passes behind the Sun from the vantage point of Earth. (Uranus is only 0.2° south of the centre of the solar disk at the instant of conjunction.) This type of conjunction is sometimes called an anti-transit or secondary eclipse.
Copyright © 2025 by L.M. Stockman and David Harper