Media Information
 
 
 
Collection:
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection
Title:
Mercury on the Horizon
Explanation:
Have you ever seen the planet Mercury? Because Mercury [ http://www.seds.org…mercury.html ] orbits so close to the Sun, it never wanders far from the Sun in Earth's sky [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. If trailing the Sun, Mercury [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] will be visible low on the horizon for only a short while after sunset [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. If leading the Sun, Mercury will be visible only shortly before sunrise. So at certain times of the year an informed skygazer [ http://skyandtelesc…article_110_1.asp ] with a little determination can usually pick Mercury out from a site with an unobscured horizon. Above, a lot of determination has been combined with a little digital trickery [ http://www.astropix…ETHICS.HTM ] to show Mercury's successive positions during March of 2000. Each picture was taken from the same location in Spain when the Sun itself was 10 degrees below the horizon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] and superposed on the single most photogenic sunset [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. Mercury is currently visible in the western sky [ http://starfieldobs…] after sunset, but will disappear in the Sun's glare after a few days.
Credit and Copyright:
Juan Carlos Casado [ http://www.skylook.…]
facet_when:
2000
facet_where:
Spain
facet_where:
Mercury
facet_where:
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
facet_what:
Earth
facet_what:
Sun
facet_what:
Mercury
facet_when_year:
2000
original url:
http://antwrp.gsfc.…
UID:
SPD-APOD-ap080127

Mercury on the Horizon
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