Mercury

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Mercury is an elusive planet at the best of times. It never gets more than 27 degrees from the sun and most of the time is much closer than this. It also never has a large apparent size, 10 arcseconds being about the limit. Through most amateur telescopes, all you can ever see is the phase. If you are very lucky you might pick it up in big binoculars but this is not recommended.

Normally, you will only see Mercury in the morning before sunrise or the evening after sunset. It is best viewed from the tropics but if you live in sub-tropical or temperate zones, it is well placed if visible in the evenings after sunset in winter or spring and in the mornings in summer or autumn.Even if favourably placed, it only remains so for a few days at a time.

Best and latest Mercury shots (best shot courtesy of Nick Howes):


 
Name Mercury
Maximum Magnitude -2.1
Minimum Magnitude +4.3
Solar "year" - time to circle the sun 88 days
Sydonic period - time to return to the same place in the sky relative to the sun 97 days
Maximum Elongation from the Sun 27 degrees
Maximum Apparent Size 10 arcseconds
Minimum Apparent Size 4 arcseconds
Distance from Sun 36 million miles
Minimum Distance from Earth 57 million miles
Maximum Distance from Earth 129 million miles
Best view in 50mm binoculars Only shows as disc
Best view in 60mm refractor Phase to about 10% accuracy
Best view in 127mm Maksutov Phase to about 5% accuracy
 

More information about Mercury

Mercury
 

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