This is an image of the planet Uranus taken by the spacecraft Voyager 2 in 1986, with its innermost ring outlined here. This iconic image of Uranus may match what you see through an amateur telescope, but additional details can be revealed by viewing it in wavelengths beyond what the human eye can see. (NASA / VOYAGER 2)

Here’s How To See Uranus And Mars Meet In The Sky This Week

The first planet beyond ‘naked eye’ astronomy will pass within just 1° of Mars.

Although there are eight major planets in the Solar System, most of us never see Uranus or Neptune.

Voyager 2 flew by both Uranus (R) and Neptune (L), and revealed the properties, colors, atmospheres, and ring systems of both worlds. They both have rings, many interesting moons, and atmospheric and surface phenomena we’re just waiting to investigate. Uranus was first discovered in 1781 and Neptune in 1846, well after the invention of the telescope. (NASA / VOYAGER 2)

Undiscovered until well after the invention of the telescope, both worlds cannot be reliably spotted with the naked eye.

Conjunctions are relatively common astronomical phenomena, and occur when two objects, such as planets (Venus and Jupiter from 2015 are shown here), pass close by one another in the sky. For planets that are invisible to the naked eye, such as Uranus or Neptune, conjunctions provide the best opportunity to spot them with a pair of binoculars by giving you an astronomical landmark to navigate from. (GETTY)

On rare occasions, however, one of those worlds will pass close to an easily-visible astronomical landmark, providing a perfect viewing opportunity.

This image shows the moon and planet Mars over the volcano Mt. Agung in Bali. The photo was taken in July of 2018, shortly after the phase of maximum totality during the lunar eclipse. Mars has remained visible in the night sky throughout the time from then until now. (GETTY)

This Tuesday night, Uranus will pass within just 1° of Mars, enabling clear views with technology no more complex than binoculars.