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5d ago

Mercury Brightens in Predawn Sky as It Approaches Greatest Elongation

The early-August elongation offers the clearest pre-sunrise viewing and sets up a close Mercury–Jupiter pairing around Aug. 15.

Mercury has now brightened to magnitude 0.5 and should be relatively easy to spot in the east before sunrise. You might even catch it standing in line with two fainter stars in Gemini if you look early enough. Credit: Stellarium
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Bright Venus shines down over the Union Canal in Scotland in this evening shot. Credit: byronv2 (Flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0)
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Overview

  • Mercury, which reaches greatest western elongation on Aug. 2, is now much brighter and should be easiest to spot about 50 minutes before sunrise at roughly magnitude +0.2.
  • Binoculars or a clear low eastern horizon will help; telescopes will show Mercury’s crescent shape because the planet lacks a thick atmosphere and displays surface detail.
  • A tight predawn conjunction with Jupiter is predicted around Aug. 15 when the two will lie within about 0.6 degrees of each other and will likely require binoculars to see against twilight.
  • Earlier and mid-month alignments offer additional guideposts: Mercury will line up near Castor and Pollux in Gemini and sit close to a very thin crescent Moon on Aug. 11.
  • Other August highlights include Venus at its greatest elongation on Aug. 15 appearing about half illuminated in the evening, Saturn high for telescopic viewing late at night and Mars slowly brightening as Earth closes distance.