January 30 and the days around it are good times to see Mercury as it is at its greatest western elongation. You don’t need a telescope for this, but you may need to wake up early. Also, the Southern Hemisphere sees better than the Northern Hemisphere. As always with stargazing, if the clouds don’t cooperate, you’re out of luck.
What is Mercury’s greatest western elongation?
Mercury is an “inferior planet”. That doesn’t mean it’s not that great. To Earthlings, the term simply refers to Venus and Mercury, the planets that orbit closer to the Sun than we do. looking towards
Why is it called Snowmoon? (and when you see it)
We don’t often glance at Venus and Mercury. because they embrace the sun. The Sun is an exponentially bright object in our sky. You’ve probably noticed.
But if the minor planet is at or near one of its “greatest elongations” (each minor planet has an east and west “greatest elongation”), you have a good chance of seeing it. . Because it is at the point of maximum (deep breath) angular separation from the Sun with respect to the Earth. That is, it may not be at its greatest distance from the Sun throughout its orbit, but that’s what we Earthlings see, so it appears brighter and stays that way longer.
How can you see Mercury’s greatest western elongation?
You should look to the sun before dawn, or at dusk just after sunset. If you can see the horizon clearly, Mercury should be there. There is a small clown dot near where the sky and land meet. To distinguish this tiny, faint planet from a visible star, downloading a stargazing app with an augmented reality component may help.sky safari(opens in new window) is an example of such an app.
