An illustration of the night sky on Aug. 24

An illustration of the night sky on Aug. 24. (Image credit: Starry Night Software)

The eastward movement of Uranus will be reversed on August 24th.

"Uranus will slow to a stop as it prepares to commence a westward retrograde loop that will last until January, 2023," writes Chris Vaughan, who oversees Space.com's Night.

There is a change in direction. According to In-The-Sky.org, all of the solar system's outer planets go through this type of movement a few months before opposition.

There are planets in August's night sky that can be seen.

At 9:40 p.m., Uranus will move retrograde. The sun rises and sets at 1340GMT. Skywatchers can get a better view of the blue-green ice giant planet using binoculars. Between 10:46 pm and 5 a.m., look to the southeastern sky. The sun will be above the horizon before the sun rises. The constellation of Aries has a number of stars that can be used to spot a planet.

"Uranus will be sitting at the bottom corner of a box formed by the 4th and 5th magnitude stars, creating a distinctive asterism for anyone viewing it," wrote Vaughan.

The Earth's motion around the sun causes the apparent position of objects in our solar system to change throughout the year.

According to In-The-Sky.org, ancient observers were troubled by the motion because they couldn't reconcile it with models in which the planets moved in uniform circles around the Earth.

It takes longer for a planet to be located from the sun. The retrograde motion of the seventh planet from the sun will last until January 22,23.

The highest point in the sky will be visible to skywatchers four minutes earlier each night. When the planet lies on the opposite side of the sky from the sun, it will become opposition.

Our guides for the best binoculars deals and the best telescope deals can help you find the right one. If you want to capture the next skywatching sight on your own, you'll need the best cameras andlenses.

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