June 23 - Seeing Elusive Mercury

June 23 Seeing Elusive Mercury by:

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Dr Ski in Valencia, Philippines caught Mars and Mercury on June 19, the day after their conjunction. The nearby stars Castor and Pollux in the constellation Gemini are a great comparison. Those 2 stars are noticeable for being bright and close together. Mercury and Mars were much closer! Thanks, Dr Ski!

Best photos of the Mercury-Mars conjunction It was the closest conjunction of 2 planets in 2019, between Mercury and Mars. It happened low in the evening twilight. Check out these photos from EarthSky Community members. After sunset now … Catch Mercury in the west You'd have to look closely to see Mars now. It's sinking into the sunset glare. But, for most of the world, elusive Mercury now stays visible in the west for more than an hour after sunset. Its greatest distance (25 degrees) east of the setting sun for this evening appearance happens today. Read more and see charts. Word of the Week: Conjunction When you hear the word conjunction in astronomy, just know it means 2 objects close together on our sky's dome. Click in for more about the various kinds of conjunctions, including some we can't see, and many we can, beautifully. Do toxic gases make advanced extraterrestrial life less likely? A new study suggests that many exoplanets - worlds orbiting distant stars - might have an overabundance of toxic gases in their atmospheres. If so, that would make the evolution of complex life forms more difficult. Read more.

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After sunset … Catch Mercury in the west Mars is now sinking into the sunset glare, getting tougher and tougher to spot. It's easier to see Mercury, the solar system's innermost planet, as dusk gives way to darkness in late June. No matter where you are on Earth, look west, close to the sunset point. Read more.

Airglow over Halcottsville, New York View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Garth Battista captured this image on June 2. He said: “I was doing a sequence of shots to show the Milky Way rising over this silo. Some of the early frames had this lovely airglow.” Thanks Garth!  Submit your photo to EarthSky here! Did a friend forward EarthSkyNews to you? Click here to get your own subscription!

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