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AFTER a few months of rising during the day, making them impossible to see, the solar system’s biggest and most distant planets are once again visible at night. While Jupiter and Saturn are great targets to look for, shining brightly enough to see with the naked eye, the more distant ice giants are trickier to find. But if you have access to a pair of binoculars or a small telescope, you should be able to spot Uranus and Neptune in the coming weeks.

Neptune is at opposition on 14 September, meaning that Earth will sit directly between it and the sun. Opposition is the best time to look for a planet, as it will rise when the sun sets and set when the sun rises, making it visible all night.

Neptune will be in the sky throughout September, so if you miss this specific day, don’t worry. Another good time to try is 7 September, as there will be a new moon and dark skies will help in this endeavour.

It is impossible to see Neptune with the naked eye, so you will need a pair of binoculars or a small telescope. It is tricky to find, so a sky chart will help. There are plenty of resources online. I like the web version of the software , because you can type in the location and time you want to stargaze and it shows you exactly what you should see.

In September, Neptune will be in the constellation Aquarius, near the star Phi Aquarii. Through binoculars, if you find Phi Aquarii you should also see Neptune in the same view, although the planet will be much dimmer and will look like a faint star, rather than a disc. Neptune’s blue colour will only be visible through a telescope.

If finding Neptune proves too tricky, there is another ice giant ready to be found. Uranus is much closer and brighter, making it easier to see.

If the skies are dark enough, Uranus should just be visible with the naked eye. It is at opposition on 5 November, which makes that the best night to look, but it will also be visible throughout September and October.

In September, Uranus will be between the Pleiades star cluster and the star Hamal, the brightest in the constellation Aries. Through binoculars, you might be able to make out the greenish blue colour of the planet, caused by methane in its atmosphere.

If you have access to binoculars or a small telescope, point them towards Saturn or Jupiter and you will see much more detail. A small telescope will let you see the rings of Saturn and maybe some of its moons, while through binoculars you should be able to see some of the moons of Jupiter.

For the best chance of spotting Jupiter’s larger moons, a resource like Stellarium will help you find where they will be in relation to the planet on the night you intend to look.

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