Mercury, Venus, and Saturn

[Dave Mitsky]

If you've never seen Mercury, the following few days are an excellent time to do so. Mercury is just past its greatest western elongation of 19.2 degrees and is quite close to Venus in the eastern morning sky. For observers at 40 degrees north latitude, the speedy planet was at its highest altitude of approximately 16 degrees this morning. Tomorrow morning brilliant Venus (magnitude -3.9) will be 2.2 degrees "above" Mercury (magnitude -0.5). Mercury is in quasi-conjunction with Venus on August 10, the last such event involving bright planets until 2010. (A quasi-conjunction occurs when two planets pass within five degrees of each other without reaching the same ecliptic longitude or right ascension.) Mercury will head sunwards and by next Thursday the two planets will be separated by 3.7 degrees.

In the meantime, Saturn will be climbing higher into the early morning sky. The Ringed Planet (magnitude 0.4) will be about one degree below Mercury (magnitude -1.3) on the morning of August 20. About 45 minutes before sunrise on August 21, Mercury and Saturn will be only 0.9 degree apart. Saturn continues to increase in altitude, while Mercury does the opposite, and has a close encounter with Venus on August 26. On that date, the second closest planetary appulse of 2006 occurs. Venus (magnitude -3.9) and Saturn (magnitude 0.5) will be less than a tenth of a degree apart. Saturn passes Venus the next day.

Dave Mitsky

[Tog_]

Saturn continues to increase in altitude, while Mercury does the opposite, and has a close encounter with Venus on August 26. On that date, the second closest planetary appulse of 2006 occurs. Venus and Saturn will be less than a tenth of a degree apart. Saturn passes Venus the next day.

And I'm off that night:dance: 10 bucks the weather screws it up for me...