If you want to get a good look at the smallest planet in the solar system, you might want to act quickly, as astronomy experts advise that the next few weeks will provide the best opportunity this year to catch a glimpse at the tiny world that orbits most closely to the sun.
According to Space.com and Chris Anderson from the College of Southern Idaho’s Centennial Observatory in Twin Falls, Mercury is often very difficult to see due to its proximity to the sun, but a handful of times each year, it achieves what is known as maximum separation (or greatest elongation) from the sun. During these times, it is much easier to spot from Earth.
For those living in the Northern Hemisphere, the best of those opportunities will come from now until the end of May in the evening sky, rn in October and November in the morning sky. If you look above the horizon about 30 minutes after sunset starting Monday, you should see Mercury as it reaches the right distance from the sun and position to be its most visible in 2016.
The experts note that it is best to look 30 minutes after sunset, as searching any earlier will make it impossible to see the planet in the bright twilight sky, and looking too much later means that it would have dipped to low and will be obscured in the haze. Binoculars may be needed to initially spot the planet, but once found, Space.com says it will be easily visible with the naked eye.
Anderson explained that currently, the ecliptic (also known as the plane of the solar system) is nearly perpendicular to the western horizon after sunset, and Mercury can be found to the east of the sun shortly after the vernal equinox and the start of spring. As a result, the planet can be seen in the sky shortly after twilight, making now the optimal time to hunt for the tiny world.
Mercury will transit the sun on May 9
As of Friday, Mercury appeared to be only eight arc seconds in diameter – smaller than Mars (14 arc seconds and Jupiter (42 arc seconds), Space.com explained. Only Uranus (3 arc seconds) and Neptune (2 arc seconds) appear smaller than the planet, but spotting it should become even easier in the weeks to come, depending upon which part of the world you call home.
According to Sky and Telescope, on May 9, Mercury will transit (or pass in front of) the sun for the first time in 10 years. The event can be observed by anyone with both a telescope and a solar filter, the publication explained, and anyone hoping to catch a glimpse should look for a circular, very dark spot crossing in front of the sun’s surface moving much faster than a sunspot.
Even a small telescope with a 60-mm refractor will be sufficient to see Mercury during its transit when combined with a full-aperture solar filter, the website said. Of course, anybody planning to look for it should make sure they’ve taken the proper precautions to prevent damage to their eyes by prolonged, direct exposure to the light emanating from our solar system’s central star.
The transit is set to begin at 11:13 GMT, reach its midpoint around 3.5 hours later, and end more than seven hours after it started. In eastern North America, that means that it will start at 7:13 am EDT and last until 2:42 pm, while on the west coast it will start before the sun even rises and end 18 minutes before noon.
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