The sky gazers always look forward to noticing something new in the sky. And interestingly, Mercury is set to reach its highest point in the night sky on Wednesday, April 12. The planet will be closest to the Sun will be at its greatest distance from the Sun from the point of view of experts.
According to the information, on the night of April 12, along with Mercury, both Uranus and Venus will also be present in the sky above Mercury. Mercury will be visible at an angle of 18 degrees and above the horizon in the west.
It’s interesting to note that Mercury will reach its “maximum elongation” from the Sun on the same day. This indicates that from the perspective of experts, it will be the furthest Mercury will travel from the Sun. Often, the best periods to watch inner planets, including Mercury, are during the greatest elongations. This is so that they can be the furthest away from the Sun’s glare.
Mercury is a star that rises in the evening and sets an hour after the sun in the western sky. It rises in the eastern sky early in the morning, roughly an hour before the sun. On these occasions, the horizon must be open and clear. Typically, Mercury appears as a brilliant “star” with a hint of yellow. According to the sources, Mercury will be the brightest and easiest to spot in the evening sky from April 2 to April 18 and the brightest and easiest to spot in the morning sky from September 16 to 30.
Mercury will be at its greatest elongation on Tuesday, April 11, but even if that is the case, there shouldn’t be much of a difference between Mercury’s positions on Tuesday and Wednesday. Mercury will shine brightly on April 12 with a brilliant magnitude of 0. It should be brighter than the North Star as a result. Yet, it won’t be the brightest celestial object at sunset as viewed from New Delhi, making it a little more challenging to see.
Experts suggest that if you want to witness the view of Mercury, you should go away from the city lights and move to a place which has minimal air and less pollution. Rural areas away from the polluted cities are best for this. Use a pair of binoculars or, if one is available, a telescope to continue. Mercury will be in a waxing crescent phase, which will illuminate around 40 percent of the planet when observed via a telescope.
According to the official website of NASA, the smallest and fastest-moving planet in our solar system, Mercury, will be at its highest and most visible point in the evening sky on April 11 of this year.
Every three to four months, Mercury is only visible in the sky for a few weeks. The remainder of the time, it is obscured by the Sun’s brilliant glare because it is too close to the Sun in the sky. Furthermore, due to its close orbit, the planet is always visible in the sky close to the Sun, appearing low to the horizon for no longer than an hour, either after sunset or before sunrise.
Hopefully, the clouds will be kind and move out, so astronomy lovers can witness the event. Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system and is just a little bigger that the moon.
Some more events will happen this month, according to NASA.
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