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Mercury


Kain

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Just seen Mercury for the first time using the dob.

Seeing is a little wobbly, but occasionally a nice steady period comes by. Using a 6.5mm EP (192x) I could see a tiny first quarter disk (or around the first/last quarter) and that was about it.

Nothing much else to say really, other than another planet ticked off on the list.

Kain

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Yup, phases visible on the "inferior" planets, (those closer to the Sun than us).

Mercury is a tough catch, for some reason. I'll never forget the hoopla I generated among the astronomers at the Caanyon one year when I bagged it! It's fun to see otherwise jaded acedemics get all googly-eyed! :rolleyes:

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Mars exhibits a very subtle gibbous phase, but it's barely noticable, something like 97% illuminated. Other than that, the other planets are just too far away.

Phasing comes into effect when our perspective to the planet is such that we see it from the side as related to the Sun angle. Since the outer planets are more or less always seen straight on in relation to the Sun, they do not exhibit phases. Draw youself a little diagram, (or maybe I will), that shows outer planets on either side of the Sun with lines representing sunlight and you'll see the relationship. I guess a simpler way to view it would be to say that phasing occurs when a planet passes between us and the Sun, even though Mars does show some small effect because of its proximity to us.

Clear as mud, right? :?

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