Astronomy tutor Dirk Wagner Notes Mercury’s Greatest Elongation today on May 7th at 05:26 UT. Mercury will be well placed for observation in the evening sky, shining brightly at magnitude of 0.38.
Over coming weeks, the distance between Mercury and the Sun will decrease each night, and it will gradually sink back into the Sun’s glare. So make use of today’s event when you can see Mercury at its brightest.
The altitude at which Mercury appears above the horizon at sunrise or sunset depends how steeply the line of the ecliptic is inclined to the horizon. If the plane of the ecliptic meet the horizon at a very shallow angle, Mercury will rise or set along a line which is almost parallel to the horizon, and a separation of 21° from the Sun along this line would correspond to a very low altitude in the sky.
This pictured depicts the position of Mercury, Earth and the Sun in our solar system.
After the success of our Observatory Visit article, astronomy tutor and TutorZ founder Dirk Wagner decided to write more about astronomical events, such as Mercury’s greatest elongation. If you want to know more about astronomical events talk to your local astronomy tutor.
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