MAY 20TH - MERCURY WITHIN 3.6 DEGREES OF VENUS THIS EVENING

[paulastro]

This is the start of Mercury's 'fly by' of Venus, the closest approach being on May 22nd when they are around a degree or so apart at closest approach.

At  9pm this evening, Venus will be at an altitude of 18 degrees ( in Yorkshire ) and Mercury will be at 3.6 degrees from it, in the 5 o'clock position from Venus.  By 10 pm the sky will be quite dark and the pair will be easily seen in binoculars or a small scope.  With Venus now over 52 arcsseconds in diam, the crescent is easy to see in 10x50 binoculars.  Mercury is 6 arcseconds in diam, 72.5% ill and m -0.7.  Venus is m -4.3 and 6.5% ill.

[Stu]

Thanks Paul. I’ve put the two closest days in the calendar to alert people but hadn’t considered that it will be pretty close tonight. I managed to see Mercury for the first time this apparition last night as it has got high enough to clear the houses.

[paulastro]

Thanks Stu.  I was looking last evening around 10pm and never saw Mercury, I had forgotten all about it!   By 10pm I wouldn't have seen it anyway as by then Mercury would have been behind cloud.  I'm glad you saw it.  Hopefully many of us will have the opportunity this evening as the weather looks to be set fair for many of us.

[Stu]

3 minutes ago, paulastro said:

Thanks Stu.  I was looking last evening around 10pm and never saw Mercury, I had forgotten all about it!   By 10pm I wouldn't have seen it anyway as by then Mercury would have been behind cloud.  I'm glad you saw it.  Hopefully many of us will have the opportunity this evening as the weather looks to be set fair for many of us.

Yes, I picked it up around 9pm which seems about the best time at the moment in terms of the sun having set vs altitude. Good luck for tonight!

[Waddensky]

Lovely, thanks for the heads-up. On the 24th the Moon joins the pair. A nice opportunity to observe Mercury for those who haven't seen this elusive planet before (and are in good company with Copernicus, legend has it, although - as usual - this most likely isn't true 😉).

[Pete Presland]

Looked pretty good last night as well, should be a great opportunity for anyone who hasn't seen mercury yet.  

[Littleguy80]

Just rushed outside and caught a quick look at them. Awesome to see them both in the same FOV. Venus clearly showing as a crescent. Next couple of evenings should be even better!

[paulastro]

I was fortunate too yesterday evening.  I managed to pick up Venus in the 80ED at 8.15 pm by off setting from the sun when it was below the top of my observatory wall.  It really is shrinking rapidly and the cusps are starting to 'creep' further round the disk.     Realised by 9.40 a tree in the distance was in they way of me seeing Mercury so I grabbed my 10x50s and went rapidly up the road where I may see it.  At 9.45 across some open ground I could see Venus with Mercury below right of it,  just over three degrees away. The spectacle made a nice framing in the 10x50s before I walked back home.  I was in time to see Venus in the telescope going down behind the offending tree on my horizon at 10 pm.

Mercury is less than half the distance from Venus this evening and a little closer tomorrow (Friday) before it starts moving higher in the sky away from Venus.