On December 21, Mercury will reach its eastern elongation, which will be Mercury’s last elongation in 2022. Astronomical science experts said that if the weather is fine, after the sun sets that day, interested members of the public can use a small astronomical telescope to find Mercury appearing in the low sky in the southwest.
Among the five planets in the solar system: water, gold, fire, wood, and earth, Mercury likes to "hide and seek" the most, and it is also the most difficult to observe. This is because Mercury is the smallest planet compared to the other planets, is closest to the sun, and is almost always overwhelmed by the sun's light at dusk or dawn. Only when the distance angle between Mercury and the Sun reaches its maximum, that is, Mercury's eastward or westward distance, is the perfect time to observe Mercury.
From the Earth, Mercury is called east elongation at its easternmost point from the sun, and west elongation at its westernmost point from the sun. Before and after the Great Eastern Elongation, Mercury appears above the western horizon at dusk. During this period, it is called the "Evening Star"; before and after the Great Western Elongation, Mercury appears low in the eastern sky at dawn. During this period, it is called the "Morning Star".
On October 9, 2022, Mercury is at its greatest west elongation . This is Mercury photographed by Tianjin astronomy enthusiast Ma Qiang in the early morning of October 10 in Hedong District, Tianjin.
Since Mercury orbits the sun for a short period of time, only 88 days, Mercury's elongation will occur at least 6 times and at most 7 times a year. Mercury will have a total of 7 great elongations in 2022, including 3 western elongations and 4 eastern elongations.
"Because the orbit is not a perfect circle, the distance angle between Mercury and the Sun will change between 18 degrees and 28 degrees during each elongation. During this elongation, the distance angle between Mercury and the Sun is 20.1 degrees, the horizon height at sunset is about 12 degrees, and the brightness is about -0.6 magnitude." said Song Yuanyuan, director of the Tianjin Astronomical Society and an astronomy popularization expert at Tianjin Science and Technology Museum .
Mercury will be at its eastern elongation on January 7, 2022. This is the image of Mercury and crescent moon captured by Tianjin astronomy enthusiast Yang Jing in Dongli District, Tianjin on the evening of January 4, the eve of its eastern elongation.
Observing Mercury is not limited to the day of great elongation. After this great elongation, Mercury's altitude will rise slightly, and observations can be made until the end of the year. "Interested members of the public can choose some places in the southwest with wide views and no obstructions from buildings, and use small astronomical telescopes for observation. In the evening, Mercury is slightly to the left of the setting position of the sun, so it is important to confirm the setting position of the sun in advance." Song Yuanyuan reminded.
There is a good opportunity to find Mercury quickly in late December. On December 29, Mercury and Venus were conjunct. The two were very close in angular distance, and the brightness of Venus reached magnitude -3.9. "Although the brightness of Mercury has dropped to magnitude 0.3 at this time, Mercury can still be easily found with the help of bright Venus, which is not far to the upper right of Venus," Song Yuanyuan said.
Reprinted from: Xinhua News Agency
Source: Hefei Radio and Television Station
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