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If you ’ve never seen the smallest planet in oursolar systemwith your own eyes , then this weekend bring an excellent chance .
On Friday , Sept. 22,Mercurywill reach its highest point in the sky all year while becoming half - lit .
Mercury will be at its brightest and easiest to spot in the morning sky for all of 2023 in late September.
Also jazz as the ' Swift Planet ' for its alert 88 - solar day orbit around the sun , Mercury orbits so near to our virtuoso that it ’s almost always lost in the sun ’s glare . The planet is technically present in the daytime sky almost all year yet is insufferable to see . Only once in a while does it become visible in twilight close to sunrise or sundown on Earth .
That ’s what will materialize this coming week with Mercury ’s ' enceinte extension , ' which advert to a head in its orbit when Mercury appears utmost from the sun , as seen from Earth . Its smashing elongation east is when it ’s visible above the western horizon just after sundown while its bully extension west mark its visibleness above the eastern horizon just before aurora . The planet will also appear half - lit — known as its ' duality ' — much like the moonlight at its first or last fourth form .
Mercury ’s peachy elongation west will come about on Sept. 22 , though it will be well place for viewing before sunrise all week , draw as high as 17 degrees above the easterly sky . According toIn-The-Sky.org , it will be burnished and easier to see in the day after it reaches its highest stage in the sky when it will show a gibbous phase — appear more than half - illuminated . According toSpace.com , Mercury will be at its bright and easiest to spot in the dawn sky from Sept. 16 to Sept. 30 .
— Mercury : Facts about the smallest major planet
— Neptune keeps originate enormous colored and smart musca volitans , and scientists do n’t know why
— The sun has blasted Mercury with a plasma wave
It will be best take in about 30 minutes before sunrise from Sept 22 . through other next workweek . You ’ll demand a clear , unobstructed skyline . A pair ofstargazing binocularswould also be utilitarian to recognize Mercury , which typically has a yellow tinge . you’re able to find the precise prison term of Mercury ’s rise for your location using TimeAndDate.com’sNight Sky Map & Planets Visible Tonightpage . Venus will be shining brightly above , with the shiny star Regulus in the constellation Leo between the two planets .
Mercury ’s next great elongation east will come on Dec. 4 , 2023 , when it will be seeable in the evening after sundown .
