Newbie
I don't think I've ever seen Mercury, but this morning I saw a very beautiful display in the east, and thought it might be Mercury.
Two bright objects were about a degree apart; I'm pretty sure the brighter one was Venus. Anyone know what the other one was?
Established Member
Hey there Phil. I saw the same beautiful site while driving to work around 6:30 or so Eastern time. You're correct in that it was Mercury (to the north) and Venus, side by side and glowing like beacons (well, Venus was anyways. . .).
Was it my imagination, or did Mercury appear just a little redder than Venus? Could have just been my imagination, considering how tiny it appeared next to bright white Venus. . .
Order of Kilopi
I went to the Heavens Above website (http://www.heavens-above.com) and saw that yes, Mercury and Venus are very close together right now. It looks like the separation is about a half degree, or the width of the Moon. Impressive!
Member
Phil,On 2001-11-05 11:32, The Bad Astronomer wrote:
I went to the Heavens Above website (http://www.heavens-above.com) and saw that yes, Mercury and Venus are very close together right now. It looks like the separation is about a half degree, or the width of the Moon. Impressive!
Thanks for the confirmation! I've never been able to pick out Mercury before. Now I know what to look for!
Member
yeah...never was certain that I had Mercury before this...very cool!
Vulcan Administrator
The first (and only) time I've seen Mercury was during the total solar eclipse in the Caribbean some years ago. I'll have to try to get up early one of the next few days to see it without such assistance.
Established Member
When is the next time Mercury will be visible so close to Venus, does it happen often?
Established Member
Maybe now. I just saw them decently close together a few evenings ago.
Established Member
Are you sure it was Mercury? What did you mean by decently close? It *is* up in the evening sky now, but just barely. It sets not long after the sun sets, and it's at such a shallow angle that it's really hard to pick up. There is something visible near Venus right now--the star Antares. Tonight Antares is below Venus and to the right.Originally Posted by cyswxman
Established Member
Hmm, it may very well have been Antares. It was a little lower than half the distance between Venus and the horizon about 6:30 PM MDT from eastern Wyoming.
Order of Kilopi
I think pumpkinpie was right, Mercury would have been lower than that. But to answer jkmccrann question, the first part of August next year (2006 in case this thread gets bumped again!) might be a good time to catch Venus and Mercury close together, in the morning.
Established Member
Thanks for that!
Regarding Mercury, I understand it's day is equivalent to 59 Earth Days and it's year is equivalent to 88 Earth Days. Am I correct to assert that that is because Mercury is tidally locked to the Sun? And as a result always shows the same face to the Sun?
Cheers in advance.
Order of Kilopi
As was pointed out to me in another thread, Mercury is not tidally locked, but is in "spin resonance".
No, Mercury does not keep the same face to the Sun at all times. That would require that the "day" and "year" be equal.
Order of Kilopi
Yes, the "day" is how long it takes to rotate, which is what jkmccrann was talking about, but its day (from one sunrise to the next) is 176 earth days.
Order of Kilopi
Yep. The mornings of August 9th/10th 2006 to be specific (Mercury and Venus will be separated by just over 2°).
Here's a shot I took back on June 30th in case anyone missed it:
Order of Kilopi
I have never seen Mercury at night, but I did see a spectacular transit of mercury across the face of the sun once. It was 6 or 7 years ago, and you could see a small black dot on the sun's surface (it took several hours to make it across).
Established Member
That clarification is much appreciated!Yes, the "day" is how long it takes to rotate, which is what jkmccrann was talking about, but its day (from one sunrise to the next) is 176 earth days.
Order of Kilopi
No problem. Notice that the day is right about two years long.
Established Member
If I may ask, because it has left me puzzled, what on Earth does your tagname mean or refer to hhEb09'1???
Order of Kilopi
Here ya go
Banned
My cousin said he spotted Mercury. He may have, but I am skeptical because I tried in vain so many times.
JIM COLYER http://www.jimcolyer.com
ASTRONOMY http://jimcolyer.com/papers/entry?id=2
Order of Kilopi
might be though of as spam.
why don't you put those addresses in you signiture?
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