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| For education orders please call 1-877-290-8256. Welcome to the September Third Week Featured Article! Best View of Mercury for 2014 for Southern Observers Geoff Gaherty, Starry Night EducationEven though it is one of the brightest objects in the sky, very few observers have ever seen the planet Mercury. That’s because it never strays very far from the Sun, and is usually lost in its glare. 
This week, observers in the southern hemisphere looking west just after sunset will have a fine view of the planet Mercury. This will be the view from Melbourne half an hour after sunset. Credit: Starry Night software. This week is one of the rare exceptions, but only if you live south of the equator. Mercury will be at its greatest elongation from the Sun on Sunday, September 21. Because of the tilt of the Earth’s axis, this will place it high above the horizon in the southern hemisphere, but too low to be observed in the northern hemisphere. Earlier that day, Mercury will also pass about half a degree south of the bright star Spica in the constellation Virgo. Mercury is slightly brighter than Spica. Further up in the sky, the planet Saturn will be intermediate in brightness between the two. I find the best time to spot Mercury is about half an hour after local sunset. Even then, binoculars are helpful to spot Mercury. Once spotted in binoculars, it’s usually easy to see with the naked eye. Northern observers will have to wait until early November to catch a view of Mercury in the dawn sky. Also this coming week, on Tuesday the 23rd, the Sun will reach its equinox, crossing the celestial equator moving southward. This marks the first day of autumn in the northern hemisphere, and the first day of spring in the southern. |
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