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A sky-watcher gazes at Mercury (lower left) and Venus in the evening sky over Germany in October 2009.
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" K. y# L, V# q- o. T% g/ ~* N8 _" eAndrew Fazekas
0 w' l9 O0 T5 `* ?& Ofor National Geographic News
4 S, B* H4 h* GPublished April 1, 2010
8 x6 k+ N$ g3 ~+ t$ x) R% t# DNormally elusive, Mercury will be a "star" for most of April, shining brightly near Venus above the evening skyline.: H( z6 T$ q7 x0 ?
Both planets will be visible to the naked eye for the next two weeks as bright, starlike objects that will dominate the low western sky shortly after sunset.4 @ `2 @# o2 ?' L! i& _
"From a place with a low horizon, one should be able to get a nice view of these two planets hanging in the darkening sky like gems," said Geza Gyuk, staff astronomer at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago.
2 a& ?( }6 @0 J: HAs the cosmic duo climb higher, the'll reach conjunction—their closest approach to each other—on Saturday and Sunday.$ V m& ~# C" [0 T
Those nights the two planets will seem to be separated by only three degrees, or the equivalent of six full-moon disks.
# q5 P3 s( ^* B2 ~# eVenus Guides Eyes to Mercury
. z& q5 `' i' `, j- |8 O2 k7 cOf the five planets visible to the naked eye, Mercury is usually the most challenging to see, because it never wanders far from the sun.
5 c" x% `; D G+ Z; ~! B" J: hThe innermost planet, Mercury orbits the sun so closely that a year lasts just 88 Earth days. (See pictures of Mercury taken by a passing spacecraft.)! Q% `4 N1 a0 p5 C H' A8 a% F0 _/ t
As seen from Earth, Mercury tightly hugs the horizon, and it appears faint because it's swathed in the sun's glare.
, m/ |7 e7 U; Z: H# O"Most people never get to see Mercury, because it ... isn't very bright. But this conjunction is coming around Mercury's maximum elongation [the planet's farthest angle away from the sun] of 20 degrees on April 8," Gyuk said.
E2 @3 K; s+ p( R7 A# \Brilliant Venus will serve as a guidepost for sky-watchers to easily find tiny Mercury. (Related: "Neptune Easier to Spot Now, Thanks to Jupiter.")
; k8 I) p$ _0 I4 ^& }6 I) g"Weather permitting," Gyuk said, "I'm certainly going to be out with my kids looking for Mercury!", x' N+ n% F* n* `
Full Planetary Collection/ `: Q$ s- }4 Q; y! X, `! I
As an added bonus, planet-hunters already out to spy Venus and Mercury will be able to see all five naked-eye planets in a single night.
$ M; d3 ^" v. p) T% O. BAs darkness sets in, Mars will become visible directly overhead, appearing as a red-tinged, starlike object. A little later, Saturn will appear slightly above the eastern horizon and will rise higher during the night.. A7 f1 \6 M* ?' e: m2 v
(Related: "Sky-watcher Beware: Mars Email a 'Spectacular' Hoax.")2 f# M- Q P2 j& @
Finally, the gas-giant planet Jupiter will rise in the east just before sunrise |