For stargazers, Friday will be a special moment as the planet Neptune will be viewable through Earth's sky.
Neptune will connect in an "opposition" point on the constellation Aquarius. The term opposition is used when a planet when it's opposite the sun in Earth's sky, according to Space.com.
The planet, named after the Roman god of the sea, is expected to rise during sunset and set at sunrise on Friday, but the peak will occur at midnight. Due to the northern hemisphere currently on Daylight Saving Time, the peak will instead occur at 1 a.m. EDT.
When in opposition, Neptune is expected to be 2,799 million miles from the sun, and 2,694 million miles from Earth, based on astronomical units (AU) created by astronomers. One AU is about 93 million miles.
Neptune can be seen with a simple small telescope and binoculars, but the only viewable aspect of the planet is its tiny blue-green shape.
Space.com provides how to spot the blue planet, "Start with the triangular constellation Capricornus, just to the east of Sagittarius (to its left in the northern hemisphere), on the southern horizon around 1 a.m. at present. Look for the two stars at the eastern angle of Capricornus' triangle, Nashira and Deneb Algiedi. These two stars point leftward towards Iota in Aquarius. Use Iota and 38 Aquarii to locate Neptune, as shown in the chart."
Neptune was discovered back on Sept. 23, 1846 and earned the distinction of being discovered by mathematical calculations before it being seen on telescope. German astronomer Johann Galle is credited for using the calculations to then spot the planet with a telescope. According to Space.com, Galileo Galilee may have seen the planet before Galle, twice, in 1612 and 1613 but thought the planet was a star due to its movement and size.
Click here for statistics of Neptune. The video below features audio of the planet captured by NASA's Voyager.
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