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mercury

Dawn Sky – Crescent Moon, Mercury, Regulus, and Orion

September 14, 2018 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Astronomy Images and Video

Late-summer sunrise from Bruneau Dunes State Park, Idaho.

After a cloudy night, the sky cleared as dawn arrived on a late summer morning as seen from Bruneau Dunes State Park in southern Idaho on September 8, 2018. Here you see a very slender waning crescent Moon to the upper left of the star Regulus. Mercury is at the lower middle of this image, just above the clouds. Just minutes earlier, the constellation Orion tried to peak through the early-morning clouds (see below) [Read more…] about Dawn Sky – Crescent Moon, Mercury, Regulus, and Orion

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Filed Under: Astronomy Images and Video mercury, moon, orion

The Moon, Venus, and Mercury at Sunset

March 18, 2018 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Astronomy Images and Video

The last Sunday of northern winter in 2018 brought a clear and dry night for stargazing in the Washington, D.C. area. In this image, taken from The Plains, Virginia, shows a slender crescent Moon just 3% illuminated by the Sun’s light. The Moon is joined by the two inner planets Venus (brighter, at center) and Mercury (upper right). Mercury has just passed its greatest eastern elongation and will now begin quickly moving back toward the Sun. Venus moves in the opposite direction, more languorously, as it slowly gets higher and brighter in the coming weeks.

 

 

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Filed Under: Astronomy Images and Video mercury, moon, nightscape, sunset, venus

A Guide to the Transit of Mercury on May 9, 2016

April 20, 2016 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Celestial Events, Solar System

The disk of Mercury, below and right of the center of the Sun’s disk, during the transit of November 8, 2006. Credit: Brocken Inaglory through Wikipedia Commons.
The disk of Mercury, below and right of the center of the Sun’s disk, during the transit of November 8, 2006. Credit: Brocken Inaglory through Wikipedia Commons.

The planet Mercury will appear to pass across the face of the Sun on Monday, May 9, 2016. This event, known as a transit, will be visible in a small telescope with a proper solar filter from much of North and South America, Africa, and western Europe. It’s a great opportunity to see the mechanics of the solar system in action and to spot the elusive inner planet as it passes across the blazing solar disk [Read more…] about A Guide to the Transit of Mercury on May 9, 2016

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Filed Under: Celestial Events, Solar System mercury, observing guide, solar system

Planet Roundup… and Comet Catalina Update

December 30, 2015 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Solar System

Mercury in the southwestern sky about 45 minutes after local sunset on Dec. 31, 2015.
Mercury in the southwestern sky about 45 minutes after local sunset on Dec. 31, 2015.

All five bright planets are visible in the sky during this last week of 2015 and into the new year. Here’s a roundup of where to find them and what to look for, along with your best chance to easily spot Comet C/2013 US10 (Catalina) on the first morning of 2016 [Read more…] about Planet Roundup… and Comet Catalina Update

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Filed Under: Solar System comet, mercury, planets

Mercury, the Moon, and Assorted Stars and Planets Before Dawn

October 9, 2015 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Solar System

Mercury, a waning crescent Moon, and assorted other stars and bright planets as seen 30 minutes before sunrise in the eastern sky.
Mercury, a waning crescent Moon, and assorted other stars and bright planets as seen 30 minutes before sunrise in the eastern sky.

If you’re up for a weekend challenge, grab your binoculars, find a clear view down to the eastern horizon, and head out about 30 minutes before sunrise to spot fingernail-thin crescent Moon right next to the planet Mercury in the pre-dawn sky. A pair of binoculars will help you pull an image of the pair out of the brightening sky. Westward (above) this pair you will also see the planets Mars, Jupiter, and Venus in the constellation Leo. The event favors observers in the northern hemisphere, but it is also visible in the south, although the sky will be slightly brighter when Mercury emerges above the horizon.

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Filed Under: Solar System jupiter, mercury, sunrise, venus

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