mercury

See Mercury in the Eastern Sky

July 1, 2015 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Solar System

Mercury in the pre-dawn sky in early July 2015. The planet is brighter than any star in the area, and lies near the Pleiades and Hyades star clusters.

Early risers can spot the planet Mercury low on the eastern horizon before sunrise in early July 2015. The planet shines at an impressive magnitude -1.5, brighter than any star, but it’s low on the horizon and somewhat diminished by the brightening predawn sky. The bright orange-giant star Aldebaran is nearby Mercury, as are the Hyades and Pleiades star clusters. A pair of binoculars will help pull these stars out of the sky glow.

Mercury moves back towards the horizon for most of July and gets even harder to see. If you’re up for a challenge, have a look for the planet Mars, which will be much fainter than Mercury, just 0.1º to the north on July 16. You will need binoculars or a small scope and a clear view down to the eastern horizon to see these two small worlds.

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Mercury Lingers in the Western Sky

May 7, 2015 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Solar System

Mercury as seen from 45 degrees N latitude at 9 p.m. local time on May 7, 2015.

The tiny planet Mercury lingers in the western sky after sunset, still tangled in the lacework of star clusters in the constellation Taurus. The planet reaches greatest eastern elongation on May 7, 2015 at an angular distance of 21º from the Sun. Because of the angle of the ecliptic, this translates to a better view for northern stargazers who can see the planet about 10º above the northwestern horizon at 9 p.m. local time [Read more…] about Mercury Lingers in the Western Sky

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Mercury, the Pleiades, and the Hyades

May 2, 2015 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Solar System

It’s a good time for seeing planets. Venus moved past the Pleiades and Hyades star clusters in early April. Now it’s Mercury’s turn. In this image, you see the speedy little planet near the two famous star clusters on May 1, 2015. The Hyades star cluster is tangled in the branches at left. For the next week, Mercury makes its best appearance this year in the western sky after sunset. Venus is much higher above the horizon after sunset, and Jupiter higher still. Saturn rises in the east before midnight, its rings tilted dramatically, as it moves to its closest approach to Earth later in May.

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April 30 – A Big Day for Mercury

April 17, 2015 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Solar System

A photo mosaic of Mercury's northern plains, taken from orbit by NASA's Messenger spacecraft. (Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University) — A photo mosaic of Mercury’s northern plains, taken from orbit by NASA’s Messenger spacecraft. (Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University)

Just as the planet Venus passed close to the Pleiades last week, the smaller and more elusive planet Mercury will also skim this star cluster on the evening of April 30. The planet and cluster will be low in the northwestern sky after sunset, about 10º above the horizon in the northern hemisphere. This is a golden opportunity to spot the little planet before it heads back towards the Sun. And more remarkably, on the same day, NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft, which has been orbiting Mercury for four years, will crash into the planet at more than 8,000 mph and end its long mission.

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