Mercury is quickly approaching its finest appearance of 2019
Richard Talcott | Published: Friday, February 15, 2019


This false-color image of Mercury highlights the physical and chemical differences
of the planet's rocky surface.

Mercury returns to the evening sky in mid-February. Tonight, it appears 5° high in the west-southwest 30 minutes after sunset.

The planet shines at magnitude –1.1, bright enough to show up against the twilight glow. (If you don’t see Mercury right away, binoculars will bring it into view.) A telescope will reveal the planet’s disk, which spans 5.6" and appears nearly full.

The inner world is currently embarking on what will be its finest evening appearance of 2019. A week from now, it will appear twice as far above the western horizon a half-hour after the Sun goes down.