When most beginners start out in planetary astronomy, it's easy to default to the holy trinity' of Jupiter, Saturn and our neighbour Mars. Each boasts unique and relatively easy to observe features, from Saturn's rings and Jupiter's bands and Great Red Spot, to Mars's dusty surface. But why stop there? There are eight planets in our Solar System and many can be appreciated with beginner setups. The 'inner planets', Mercury and Venus, present new and exciting challenges to planetary astronomers. We explored Venus in last month's issue and now it's Mercury's turn for the spotlight.
Due to its proximity to the Sun, extra care must be taken to observe Mercury safely, which adds to the challenge. There are particular times that are best to view this elusive, mysterious planet, and this April we can seize the opportunity. Get ready to enjoy one of the Solar System's unsung heroes.
Following Mercury's path
The fastest planet in the Solar System, Mercury is named after the messenger of the Greek gods, renowned for speed. And time is certainly of the essence with this planet. To catch Mercury, we need to understand how its position relative to the Sun affects its visibility.
Mercury is 0.4 astronomical units (AU) away from the Sun and orbits at speeds of up to 47km per second, compared to Earth's relaxed pace of 30km per second. When it reaches its closest point to the Sun, Mercury is at its fastest and it then slows down slightly the further away it gets. As the innermost planet, it also has the shortest year, taking 88 Earth days to circle the Sun.
Denne historien er fra April 2023-utgaven av BBC Sky at Night Magazine.
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Denne historien er fra April 2023-utgaven av BBC Sky at Night Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Could We Find Aliens by Looking for Their Solar Panels?- Designed to reflect ultraviolet and infrared, the panels have a unique fingerprint
Researchers searching for life beyond Earth spend a lot of time thinking about what telltale signs might be detectable astronomically. Forms of unambiguous evidence for the presence of life on another world are known as biosignatures. By extension, techno signatures are indicators of activity by intelligent, civilisation-building life.
Antimatter- In our continuing series, Govert Schilling looks at antimatter, the strange counterpart to most of the matter filling our Universe
Particles and corresponding antiparticles are very much alike, except they have opposite electrical charges. For instance, the antiparticle of the electron - known as the positron - has the same tiny mass, but while electrons carry a negative electrical charge, positrons are positively charged.
Where Have All The Milky Way's Early Stars Gone?- Our Galaxy has a curious lack of pristine stars
The Big Bang produced a Universe filled almost exclusively with hydrogen and helium; all other elements - what astronomers call metals - were produced by stars, supernovae and everything that happens later. So if you can pick out a pristine star with no metals polluting it from among the billions in the Milky Way, then you are likely to have a star dating from our Galaxy's earliest days.
Inside The Sky At Night - Two years ago, exoplanet scientist Hannah Wakeford received some of the first data from the JWST
Two years ago, exoplanet scientist Hannah Wakeford received some of the first data from the JWST. In July's Sky at Night, we discovered what she's learned since then.
How to stack DSLR data in Siril
Easily combine multiple frames to boost detailin your astro photos
Lunar occultation of Saturn
You'll need to strike a balance on 21 August to capture the Moon covering the ringed planet
How to plot a variable star light curve
A rewarding project to chart stars that change brightness
Smartphone photography with a telescope
Mary Mcintyre explains how to get impressive night-sky images using your phone
Once-a-century solar storm is overdue
If a Carrington Event struck today it would be catastrophic, says Minna Palmroth
The new era of human spaceflight
There's been a step-change in crewed space missions since the dawn of the 21st century. Ben Evans charts its course and looks ahead to future horizons
