See Mercury shining brightly in the sky this Christmas
Santa won’t be the only visitor to our night skies this Christmas Eve.
On Christmas Eve (December 24), Mercury will shine brightly in the sky above Earth and reach its peak height above the horizon during sunset on Christmas Day before fading from the sky as 2022 progresses into 2023.
Over the two Christmas days, the planet closest to the sun during its current winter evening apparition will reach its highest point in the sky, 12 degrees above the horizon (just over a fist’s breadth at arm’s length), shining at a magnitude of -0 ,6, according to In the air (opens in new tab).
Related: Night sky, December 2022: what you can see tonight [maps]
An apparition is a period of time during which an object in the solar system is visible Soil. Appearances of Mercury can occur in both the morning and evening skies, depending on whether the planet is east or west of the sun.
When Mercury is in the east, it rises and sets after the sun and can be seen in the early evening. In contrast, when it is in the west, it rises and sets before the sun and is seen shortly before sunrise. Current east of the sun, Mercury’s continuous evening apparition lasts from December 4 to January 3.
However, despite its increase in brightness, Mercury will still not be a “Star of Bethlehem” in the evening sky. The smallest planet in the solar system will still be challenging to spot as this appearance is not one of the most prominent.
In addition, acting sooner or later is the best bet to see the planet. This is because Mercury will decrease in brightness towards the end of the apparition from December to January when it is between and the sun towards an arrangement called an inferior conjunction.
During inferior conjunctions, planets have their illuminated sides turned away from Earth. This results in them appearing as thin crescents that are barely lit.
Mercury is a planet that can only be seen above Earth during twilight, meaning it’s hard to see during this thin crescent phase. As a result, the planet closest to the sun will be easier to spot in the run-up to Christmas Day than in the days following.
Mercury is usually a difficult planet to see because, as the Sun’s closest planetary neighbor, it is often obscured by the glare of the star’s light. The best time to try to see Mercury from Earth, therefore, is during periods when it is farthest from the Sun, the so-called moments of “greatest elongation”.
These periods occur about every three to four months and last a few weeks at a time. Mercury last reached its greatest elongation and thus its farthest separation from the Sun during this current apparition on December 21.
Whether you’re new to skywatching or have been doing it for years, make sure to check out our guides to the best binoculars and the best telescopes to see Mercury or anything else in the sky. For capturing the best skywatching footage you can, we’ve got recommendations for the best astrophotography cameras and best lenses for astrophotography.
Editor’s Note: If you took a great photo of Mercury and would like to share it with Space.com readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to [email protected]
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