☿️ This year's evening visibility of Mercury

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ResolvableOwl

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These days, a rare guest in temperate latitudes is visible on the evening sky (northern hemisphere). Just above the northwestern horizon, planet Mercury has its last evening visibility of this year. Next week it's best to view; on the 13th, the crescent moon will visit this timid guest of our twilights.

2021-05-07_mercury.jpg


I just barely made it to erect my tripod/camera to catch Mercury, until it would hide behind the horizon (or the houses/trees). It's one of the brightest objects of the night sky, but it's really really close to the horizon. And heck, does our planet Earth rotate quickly! This is a stack of three photographs taken within half a minute. Any exposure time beyond 3 seconds would have stretched the distant dot to a star trail.

ETA: I'm at about 11°E (CEST times), so people more western than me still have a chance to spot the shy planet tonight.
 
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Kitsch alarm!

Today it's rainy, but my camera (not me, lol) remembered how the same outlook looked yesterday:

S6403403_m0d.jpg


These crepuscular rays were probably visible so well, because Europe once again was covered in a large cloud of Sahara dust the last few days. Moroccan clay per free air delivery, lol!
 
These days, a rare guest in temperate latitudes is visible on the evening sky (northern hemisphere). Just above the northwestern horizon, planet Mercury has its last evening visibility of this year. Next week it's best to view; on the 13th, the crescent moon will visit this timid guest of our twilights.

View attachment 57020

I just barely made it to erect my tripod/camera to catch Mercury, until it would hide behind the horizon (or the houses/trees). It's one of the brightest objects of the night sky, but it's really really close to the horizon. And heck, does our planet Earth rotate quickly! This is a stack of three photographs taken within half a minute. Any exposure time beyond 3 seconds would have stretched the distant dot to a star trail.

ETA: I'm at about 11°E (CEST times), so people more western than me still have a chance to spot the shy planet tonight.
I'll look for it tonight. Thx for the info 🌙🌞
 
Kitsch alarm!

Today it's rainy, but my camera (not me, lol) remembered how the same outlook looked yesterday:

View attachment 57148

These crepuscular rays were probably visible so well, because Europe once again was covered in a large cloud of Sahara dust the last few days. Moroccan clay per free air delivery, lol!
Wow great Shot 📸.
 
I'll look for it tonight. Thx for the info 🌙🌞
Mars is visible at the evening sky as well (gemini), although it's not quite an impressive sight (the NASA/Perseverance will oppose fiercely). Remember that planets, unlike stars, don't sparkle. That's a good trick to distinguish them from the many bright stars in this region of the sky.
 
Mars is visible at the evening sky as well (gemini), although it's not quite an impressive sight (the NASA/Perseverance will oppose fiercely). Remember that planets, unlike stars, don't sparkle. That's a good trick to distinguish them from the many bright stars in this region of the sky.
Oh good to know' 🤗😉👍🏼
 
Kitsch alarm!

Today it's rainy, but my camera (not me, lol) remembered how the same outlook looked yesterday:

View attachment 57148

These crepuscular rays were probably visible so well, because Europe once again was covered in a large cloud of Sahara dust the last few days. Moroccan clay per free air delivery, lol!
We'd get this same effect caused by the red clay of Oklahoma. "Oooooklahoma, where the winds come sweeping down the plains..."
 
I have an app...sky view lite. Free, and super cool to see planets where they are in the sky. You can point it down to the ground and see where planets (and stars, and the space station!), is relative to where you point your phone.

I need a telescope in my life. My friend said to get telescope binoculars and a tripod. I am lucky that i live in florida. I get to see rocket launches. I have an app for that too... Space Launch Now. I can feel some of the launches under my feet. Thats a free app too.
 
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