Uranus at opposition

Uranus will reach opposition, when it lies opposite to the Sun in the sky. Lying in the constellation Aries, it will be visible for much of the night, reaching its highest point in the sky around midnight local time.

At around the same time that Uranus passes opposition, it also makes its closest approach to the Earth – termed its perigee – making it appear at its brightest.

This happens because when Uranus lies opposite to the Sun in the sky, the Earth passes between Uranus and the Sun. The solar system is lined up with Uranus and the Earth on the same side of the Sun, as shown by the configuration labelled perigee in the diagram below: