I received an email late Saturday morning (March 7th 2025) from expert visual observer, Jaakko Saloranta from Finland. He asked me if I’d ever seen Uranus without optical aid. Seems that Jaakko had a “lively” discussion with some reporters concerning the visibility of seeing Uranus naked eyes.
I have not seen Uranus using a telescope, and for sure not without any optical aid, but it’s now on my list of things to do this year.
March 8th 2025 Observation:
Now I know the moon is bright (71% illumination tonight (March 8th) but I’m going to at least use a small telescope tonight from my suburban backyard. to locate and see. I’ll be using a 4.5-inch f/8 Newtonian. I’ll then try the small 6 x 30 finder, and then my 7 x 21 Pentax mini-binoculars. And then if successful, I’ll attempt without any optical aid.
If you can’t see the planet without optical aid (especially at this time) why not attempt with a small telescope?
Observing report(s) as following in the link:
https://rogerivester...en-a-dark-site/