Mercury visible from SOHO, before MESSENGER Closeup

[MeteorWayne]

<p>Mercury is visible in the latest SOHO loop. It is the object moving rapidly left to right (faster than the stars) at about the 8 o'clock position.</p><p>It is approaching inferior conjunction (0009 UT on the 7th, not long after the MESSENGER Flyby) and is a very thin crescent, less than 2% illuminated. As a result it's a rather faint magnitude +4.2, so does not exhibit the blooming seen with brighter planets.</p><p>Best view for high speed connections (38 Mb):</p><p>http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/LATEST/current_c3.gif</p><p>1/4 resolution (8.6 Mb)</p><p>&nbsp;http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/LATEST/current_c3small.gif</p><p>Also MPEG Versions here 6.8 Mb and 892 Kb: Click either 512x512 ir 256x256 Blue LASCO C3 images on lower right.</p><p>http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime/mpeg/</p><p>At the time of it's closest apprach to the sun (from our view) it will only be 0.3% illuminated at magnitude +5.2 only 2 degrees from the sun.</p><p>Meteor Wayne</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>MW</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[3488]

<p><font size="2"><strong>Thanks Wayne,</strong></font></p><p><font size="2"><strong>Great observations, conjunction nicely timed too with MESSENGER encounter (both are on the same day). This thread will complement the one on M & L superbly & I will contribute to both.</strong></font></p><p><font size="4">Looking the other way from Mercury back to Earth at opposition.&nbsp;</font> <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/0/5/d0201345-3dbd-4c8a-8517-df4bf57aec0a.Medium.gif" alt="" /></p><p><font size="2"><strong>As Wayne said above, Mercury will be only 0.3% illuminated or a Phase Angle of 99.7%. That is incredibly slim.</strong></font></p><p><font size="2"><strong>Below is an approach image from MESSENGER of Mercury. The crescent here is 21% (Phase Angle 79%), or is 65 x WIDER percentage wise then Mercury will appear from Earth.</strong></font><br /> <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/9/5/69212b03-cb46-4de8-a5bf-2a2002018702.Medium.jpg" alt="" /><br />&nbsp; </p><p><font size="2" color="#000000"><strong>Andrew Brown.&nbsp;</strong></font></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>