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* P: B" i4 _6 w* kA sky-watcher gazes at Mercury (lower left) and Venus in the evening sky over Germany in October 2009.
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Andrew Fazekas
5 x$ B6 @' V# R% e/ G9 I: Nfor National Geographic News( v1 p& {) l% X5 c$ D7 _& S
Published April 1, 2010
g; O. L" I7 j/ @ XNormally elusive, Mercury will be a "star" for most of April, shining brightly near Venus above the evening skyline.
/ I* P+ A, U8 n# }$ IBoth 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.* |6 c/ z2 j9 U) c8 i$ J4 a
"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., F1 v) z" K1 \
As the cosmic duo climb higher, the'll reach conjunction—their closest approach to each other—on Saturday and Sunday.
7 _: V1 T; g1 SThose nights the two planets will seem to be separated by only three degrees, or the equivalent of six full-moon disks.; g- t+ F3 o6 i+ a4 D. g
Venus Guides Eyes to Mercury. F/ L9 a* c+ v5 d6 s9 v
Of the five planets visible to the naked eye, Mercury is usually the most challenging to see, because it never wanders far from the sun.% Z/ g8 E2 u$ y* u1 A/ g5 a6 {
The 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.)
8 e0 l* G+ R% V' c z! |As seen from Earth, Mercury tightly hugs the horizon, and it appears faint because it's swathed in the sun's glare.( o* X0 p$ [& [ m
"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.
2 x: B5 c" F" ~+ ?Brilliant Venus will serve as a guidepost for sky-watchers to easily find tiny Mercury. (Related: "Neptune Easier to Spot Now, Thanks to Jupiter.")
+ w) w( ?. x! I"Weather permitting," Gyuk said, "I'm certainly going to be out with my kids looking for Mercury!"( o$ l" I7 O# S% t" \( ?# A4 q! ?9 A
Full Planetary Collection2 C' c2 T9 T6 G+ c& {8 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.
2 p( \' Y3 L }/ @" n- JAs 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.5 a: K2 Y0 N- [7 x4 g
(Related: "Sky-watcher Beware: Mars Email a 'Spectacular' Hoax.")
/ i: q# P8 B6 ]( H8 r5 }Finally, the gas-giant planet Jupiter will rise in the east just before sunrise |