After the snow, Venus and Mercury
It's too late for tonight, and Tuesday night we'll likely have clouds in advance of the snow. But Wednesday and Thursday nights may be good opportunities for backyard stargazers to catch a glimpse of Venus and Mercury.
Venus is brilliant in the western sky right after sunset these days. No one under clear skies could possibly miss it. It's currently the brightest object in the western sky. Venus is about 140 million miles from Earth at present.
Mercury is smaller, dimmer and harder to spot, but this week the nearest planet to the sun will be about as far east of the setting sun as it gets. So with clear skies, it should be a fairly easy naked-eye object. Mercury is presently about 93 million miles from Earth.
Look for Mercury after sunset, to the right and below Venus. Here's a shot taken by Ante Pavlovic, from Zagreb, Croatia.
It will look like a small, steady star. Here's a finder map from Spaceweather.com And here are some links to pictures that astrophotographers have been shooting in recent days. Good luck.
Comments
First time I've seen Mercury -- yippee! The two planets make a beautiful sight in the fading glow of the western sky. Thanks for alerting us
Posted by: Dave | February 8, 2007 6:32 PM
That's great! So glad someone went out to look. I spotted them as I drove home on the JFX. They were very striking. Mercury isn't often easy to see, and most people have never had the privilege. But it was not hard to spot it tonight, even from the city. Folks should give it a try Friday night, too. Skies should be nice and clear.
Posted by: frank roylance | February 8, 2007 9:13 PM