The Night Sky Guy

Moon Points to Mercury at Dawn

Skywatchers get a great observing challenge on April 19th before dawn when a razor-thin crescent Moon helps point the way to elusive little planet Mercury.  The trick with this observation is that you need to have a very clear line of sight to the VERY low eastern horizon to see this celestial pair. So try and find a spot that does not have any trees or building obstructing your view of the eastern horizon. About a half hour before the sun rises you get a short window of opportunity to catch faint Mercury before it’s lost in the glare of the rising sun.  The Moon will be less than 8 degrees north of the little planet so the pair should fit within the view of a wide-field binocular like an 8 x 50… BTW – Uranus will be even more of a challenge for telescope users as it will be embedded within the glare of the rising sun.

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