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Isn't Mercury too faint and too close to the Sun to see with naked eye?

by yread 8y ago

masterleep 8y ago
No, but it can be a bit of a challenge to see.
gshubert17 8y ago
Many times Mercury is too close to the Sun so it is lost in the glare next to it. Mercury is usually pretty bright because it is so close to the Sun and not that far from the Earth. Apparent brightness depends on size, albedo, and distances from Sun and Earth. Mercury is only a bit dimmer than Saturn now. The larger the elongation of Mercury from the Sun (currently 20 degrees) and the closeness of other objects (Mercury is west of the star Regulus in Leo, the easier it is to see Mercury. Sometimes I use binoculars first. Once you know where to look, I can see Mercury with my unaided eyes.
davidcuddeback 8y ago
It's not too faint. Whether or not it's too close to the sun depends on where it and the earth are in their orbits. When Mercury is at greatest elongation, it's quite visible, but you have you only view it just after sunset or before sunrise (depending on whether it's eastern or western elongation).
gmiller123456 8y ago
It's pretty bright, but usually appears too close to the Sun to be seen. It usually goes through 3-4 periods per year where it can be seen after sunset (and similar for periods before sunrise). You can use a planet rise and set chart to find periods when it will be most visible. Shameless plug [1] for an Android app I wrote that does this. Unfortunately we're just now leaving a period where it could be seen after sunset. You'll be able to see it before sunrise in lat Aug/Sep, or after sunset around late Oct/Nov. It will be easier to find if you use binoculars first, then try with the naked eye once you know where to look. Another interesting thing now is that you can see Venus before the sun sets. If you've never seen it before, find the location one night well after sunset, then look in about the same place the next night a few minutes before sunset. It's currently getting closer to the sun, so it will get harder to spot before sunset each day, but will remain obvious in the night sky until late Sept. [1] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.principiaprogramatica.planetrisesetgraph https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.principiap...

Isn't Mercury too faint and too close to the Sun to see with naked eye?

by yread 8y ago

Isn't Mercury too faint and too close to the Sun to see with naked eye?

masterleep 8y ago

No, but it can be a bit of a challenge to see.

gshubert17 8y ago

Many times Mercury is too close to the Sun so it is lost in the glare next to it. Mercury is usually pretty bright because it is so close to the Sun and not that far from the Earth. Apparent brightness depends on size, albedo, and distances from Sun and Earth. Mercury is only a bit dimmer than Saturn now. The larger the elongation of Mercury from the Sun (currently 20 degrees) and the closeness of other objects (Mercury is west of the star Regulus in Leo, the easier it is to see Mercury. Sometimes I use binoculars first. Once you know where to look, I can see Mercury with my unaided eyes.

davidcuddeback 8y ago

It's not too faint. Whether or not it's too close to the sun depends on where it and the earth are in their orbits. When Mercury is at greatest elongation, it's quite visible, but you have you only view it just after sunset or before sunrise (depending on whether it's eastern or western elongation).

gmiller123456 8y ago

It's pretty bright, but usually appears too close to the Sun to be seen. It usually goes through 3-4 periods per year where it can be seen after sunset (and similar for periods before sunrise). You can use a planet rise and set chart to find periods when it will be most visible. Shameless plug [1] for an Android app I wrote that does this. Unfortunately we're just now leaving a period where it could be seen after sunset. You'll be able to see it before sunrise in lat Aug/Sep, or after sunset around late Oct/Nov. It will be easier to find if you use binoculars first, then try with the naked eye once you know where to look. Another interesting thing now is that you can see Venus before the sun sets. If you've never seen it before, find the location one night well after sunset, then look in about the same place the next night a few minutes before sunset. It's currently getting closer to the sun, so it will get harder to spot before sunset each day, but will remain obvious in the night sky until late Sept. [1] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.principiaprogramatica.planetrisesetgraph https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.principiap...