Tonight, as the sun goes down, step outside and face west. Mercury and Venus are converging in the sunset sky. Japanese photographer Shiraishi sends this picture from Kumagaya-shi, Saitama: Venus popped out of the twilight first, then Mercury followed as the sky darkened, says Shiraishi. To capture the pair I used a Nikon COOLPIX P510 digital camera set at ISO 400 for a 1/6s exposure. Sunset photographers should take note of those settings, because the Mercury-Venus show is just beginning. For the next week, the two planets will draw closer and closer together. On the date of closest approach, Jan. 10th, they will be a scant 0.7 degrees apart--three times closer than they are tonight! The width of your little finger held at arms length is enough to eclipse the pair. If you cant see Mercury with the naked eye alone, you might be looking too soon after sunset. Wait a while for the twilight to deepen. Or if you have binoculars, aim them at Venus to reel in Mercury. Once you find Mercury, you might be surprised at how bright it appears. We should have a good view around 5:15 pm CT.
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 19:19:00 +0000
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