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" @/ C3 d$ e, i; j9 y( \* M- [8 hA sky-watcher gazes at Mercury (lower left) and Venus in the evening sky over Germany in October 2009.& ?6 i: G8 i5 Z/ u0 H
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Andrew Fazekas5 G/ L7 s# ]" A& K. X* W
for National Geographic News1 ?: L, A" x5 m
Published April 1, 2010
" a3 U5 i1 o4 c+ c5 V7 gNormally elusive, Mercury will be a "star" for most of April, shining brightly near Venus above the evening skyline.
8 w* ?7 r: U! h0 F8 a. D8 D; ~0 x! KBoth 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.
, K( { g- \" D/ _. @"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.0 l3 V5 S- M* J2 K# r: |
As the cosmic duo climb higher, the'll reach conjunction—their closest approach to each other—on Saturday and Sunday.
: {4 o) P* w7 m9 wThose nights the two planets will seem to be separated by only three degrees, or the equivalent of six full-moon disks.
9 R! Z" T1 \5 b! zVenus Guides Eyes to Mercury
$ v) C! ~. f/ d* A5 L: ROf the five planets visible to the naked eye, Mercury is usually the most challenging to see, because it never wanders far from the sun.! ^7 j! O+ H/ s! ^+ r
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.)( T% D+ T3 L# u/ ^
As seen from Earth, Mercury tightly hugs the horizon, and it appears faint because it's swathed in the sun's glare.* }4 G' g2 R4 Y* G# v+ W" l
"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.9 O- h# S' a1 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.")
/ r$ L9 L0 u& F+ ]9 G"Weather permitting," Gyuk said, "I'm certainly going to be out with my kids looking for Mercury!"
& N6 o: a1 }2 G; z8 N( GFull Planetary Collection# q' `; c! L, C1 g' @2 `* a
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.. [( |5 s7 v1 ?) @7 `9 R
As 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.
$ f9 Y$ z3 d1 o+ a(Related: "Sky-watcher Beware: Mars Email a 'Spectacular' Hoax.")
! C$ z, ~, C7 O) xFinally, the gas-giant planet Jupiter will rise in the east just before sunrise |