dipper@utastro.UUCP (Debbie Byrd) (02/26/86)
This is a good time to look for Mercury in the evening sky. More -- after this. February 26 Mercury If you watched, you may have seen a planet sink into the glow of sunset early this month. It was Jupiter -- and its exit left the evening sky temporarily planetless. But another planet soon appeared in the evening sky -- the most elusive one of all -- Mercury. Most people never see Mercury -- because this planet is the one closest to the sun in our solar system Mercury is always seen near the sun -- in the west after sunset -- or in the east before sunrise. This week is an especially good time to see Mercury because the planet is now as high in the west after sunset as it will be for some months. It should be visible through next week. Then it will disappear again -- and in a month or so come back to the morning sky. Look for Mercury above the place that the sun sets on the horizon. Since the planet sets soon after the sun, you'll want to look just as soon as the sky gets dark. Mercury will be low in the sky -- only about ten degrees above the horizon as seen from the northern United States -- a little higher as seen from the south. If you think you see it, look even lower in the sky for another object -- brighter than Mercury -- but exceedingly close to the western horizon. Venus is below Mercury in the west after sunset. It's just coming back to our evening sky after a hiatus behind the sun. Take a look -- Mercury low in the west after sunset -- and bright Venus even lower -- any evening this week. Script by Deborah Byrd. (c) Copyright 1985, 1986 McDonald Observatory, University of Texas at Austin