The planet Mercury
© NASA/JPL/MESSENGER
Finder chart
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From Ashburn , Mercury is difficult to observe as it will appear no higher than 8° above the horizon. It will become visible at around 18:06 (EST) as the dusk sky fades, 8° above your western horizon. It will then sink towards the horizon, setting 1 hour and 6 minutes after the Sun at 18:54.
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|
Name
Mercury
|
Object Type
Inferior Planet
|
Current Position
| Constellation: | Aquarius |
| Magnitude: | -1.08 (V)[1] |
| Right Ascension: | 22h58m [1] |
| Declination: | -07°05' [1] |
| Distance: | 1.17 AU 9.71 lightmin [1] |
Derived Quantities
| Absolute Mag (V): | 30.16 |
Orbital Elements[1]
| Semi-major axis: | 0.39 AU |
| Eccentricity: | 0.205629 |
| Inclination: | 7.01° |
| Longitude ascending node: | 48.35° |
| Argument of perihelion: | 29.08° |
| Epoch of elements: | 14 January 1985 |
| Mean Anomaly at epoch: | 132.23° |
Derived quantities
| Perihelion: | 0.31 AU |
| Aphelion: | 0.47 AU |
| Orbital period: | 0.24 years |
Source
| [1] | Robin M. Green, Spherical Astronomy, 1985, ISBN 0-521-31779-7 |
Events
| 26 Feb 2019 | – Mercury at greatest elongation east |
| 01 Mar 2019 | – Mercury reaches highest point in evening sky |
| 09 Apr 2019 | – Mercury reaches highest point in morning sky |
| 11 Apr 2019 | – Mercury at greatest elongation west |
| 19 Jun 2019 | – Mercury reaches highest point in evening sky |
| 23 Jun 2019 | – Mercury at greatest elongation east |
| 09 Aug 2019 | – Mercury at greatest elongation west |
| 12 Aug 2019 | – Mercury reaches highest point in morning sky |
Printable finder charts
