On December 21, Mercury will face the eastward distance, which is the last big distance for Mercury in 2022. Astronomical science experts say that if the weather is sunny and after the sun sets that day, interested public can find Mercury that appears at a low altitude in the southwest with the help of the small astronomical telescope .
Among the five planets of water, gold, fire, wood and earth in the solar system, Mercury likes "hide and seek" the most, and is also the most difficult to observe. This is because Mercury is the smallest in size and closest to the sun, and is almost often flooded by sunlight at dusk or dawn. Only when the distance angle between Mercury and the Sun reaches the maximum, that is, Mercury's east or west distance, is the perfect time to observe Mercury.
From the earth, Mercury is called East-high distance on the easternmost part of the sun, and West-high distance on the westernmost part of the sun. Before and after the East Great Distance, Mercury appears above the western horizon at dusk, and this period is called the "Dun Star"; before and after the West Great Distance, Mercury appears at the low altitude in the east at dawn, and this period is called the "Morning Star".
October 9, 2022Mercury is far away from the west . This is the Mercury shot by Tianjin astronomy enthusiast Ma Qiang in Hedong District, Tianjin in the early morning of October 10. (Photo provided by me)
Since Mercury revolves around the sun for a short time, only 88 days, there will be at least 6 times and up to 7 times a year. Mercury has 7 major distances in 2022, including 3 major distances in the west and 4 major distances in the east.
"Because the orbit is not a perfect circle, the distance angle between Mercury and the sun will change between 18 degrees and 28 degrees every time the distance is large. During this distance, the distance angle between Mercury and the sun is 20.1 degrees, the horizon height is about 12 degrees at sunset, and the brightness is about -0.6, etc.." Song Yuanyuan, director of the Tianjin Astronomical Society and an expert on astronomical science popularization in Tianjin Science and Technology Hall .
January 7, 2022 Mercury East Distance, this is the Mercury and Moon Moon taken by Tianjin astronomical enthusiast Yang Jing on the evening of January 4, on the eve of Dongdao. (Photo provided by me)
Observation of Mercury is not limited to the day of large distances. After this large distance, Mercury's horizon will climb slightly and can be observed before the end of the year. "Interested public can choose some places with wide views in the southwest and no buildings blocking them, and use small astronomical telescopes to observe. In the evening, Mercury is slightly lower than the position of the sun setting, so it is important to confirm the position of the sun setting in advance." Song Yuanyuan reminded.
There is a good opportunity to quickly find Mercury in late December. On December 29, Mercury and Venus were in conjunction with each other, with a very close angular distance of Venus reaching -3.9. "Although the brightness of Mercury has dropped to 0.3 at this time, it is easy to find Mercury with the help of bright Venus, which is not far from the upper right of Venus." Song Yuanyuan said.
Reprinted from: Xinhua News Agency WeChat official account
Source: Liaoning Daily
