Neptune
Neptune is in the constellation of Aquarius. This makes it a reasonably easy target for serious amateurs. You will need a telescope of some size, larger than six inches in diameter, to hope to find this distant planet. Here’s Neptune’s path through Aquarius for the next few years. It does take 165 years for the planet to orbit the Sun once, so it takes its time crawling along the ecliptic. In a fair sized telescope under dark skies, you may be able to spot this distant planet. I have seen it a dozen times or so in nearly fifty years of observing.
CURRENT MOON
© Carpe Caelum 2016
Neptune
© Carpe Caelum 2016
Neptune is in the constellation of Aquarius. This makes it a reasonably easy target for serious amateurs. You will need a telescope of some size, larger than six inches in diameter, to hope to find this distant planet. Here’s Neptune’s path through Aquarius for the next few years. It does take 165 years for the planet to orbit the Sun once, so it takes its time crawling along the ecliptic. In a fair sized telescope under dark skies, you may be able to spot this distant planet. I have seen it a dozen times or so in nearly fifty years of observing.