Venus and Mercury
Two planets are putting in their best appearances in the evening sky right now. But "best" is all relative. While one of the planets is high and bright, the other stays low in the sky and is much harder to find.
The planets are Venus and Mercury. Venus is the brilliant "evening star." It's well up in the west as darkness falls, and is quite easy to find -- it far outshines every other planet and star in the night sky. It sets around 10:30 or 11.
Mercury is harder to find. It's quite low in the west at sunset, and drops from sight not much more than an hour later. Look for it beginning about 30 minutes after sunset. It looks like a moderately bright star.
Both Venus and Mercury are at points called "greatest eastern elongation." That means they're farthest east of the Sun for their current evening appearances. After this, they'll start moving back toward the Sun, and eventually will pass into the morning sky.
Mercury is the planet closest to the Sun, which is why it doesn't climb into better view. Venus is the second planet from the Sun, so it moves farther from the Sun in our sky.
Mercury will drop from view completely within a few days. But Venus will remain in view for a couple more months. It'll disappear from view in early June. On June 8th, it'll cross in front of the Sun -- something that hasn't happened since 1882.
In the meantime, keep an eye on Venus as it blazes in the western sky.
Script by Damond Benningfield, Copyright 2004
For more skywatching tips, astronomy news, and much more, read StarDate magazine.
|
Contact | About | Friends of McDonald | Sign up for Sky Tips
