See Uranus Tonight

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — The gas-packed planet Uranus will be at its closest point to Earth Thursday night as it reaches opposition with the sun — meaning it will be bathed in light — and it should be visible to the naked eye. The ice giant’s blue-green color is unmistakable, and skywatchers should be able to see the planet throughout the month of October.

Uranus — properly pronounced “YOOR-a-nus” — is the seventh planet from the sun and the third largest in the solar system. It floats in front of the constellation Pisces the Fishes, and it hasn’t been this high in the sky during opposition since February 1963.

There’s a new moon, so Uranus won’t face competition in the same area of the sky. It reaches its peak at 1 a.m. local time.