Picture of the
Moment...
Venus and the Moon point the way to Mercury, 15 April 2010
In early to mid April 2010 the innermost planet Mercury put in an appearance in the evening sky, and had the much brighter Venus near by as a pointer. On the 15th and 16th they were joined by a thin crescent Moon, making a pleasing sight, helped by a spell of bright though cool weather in the UK.
Click here for a series of pictures taken on different days, which show the movement of Mercury relative to Venus and also its diminishing brightness as it swings around the sun and presents more of its dark side towards us.
The stratosphere as in fact polluted with volcanic ash being carried southwards from an erupting Icelandic volcano - Eyafjallajokull, though there is no trace of it in these photos. The sunsets were pleasant but not spectacular.
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Venus, Mercury and an extremely slender 1 day old crescent Moon low in the north-west on the evening of 16 April 2010.
In another two minutes the Moon began to set behind the North Downs, a range of chalk hills beyond which lies London.
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Picture added on 6 May 2010
Previous Moments...
- Mysterious Blue Clouds :
Several fine displays of Noctilucent Clouds in June & July 2009
- Comet 17P Holmes:
The comet that exploded in October 2007
- Total Lunar Eclipse:
A clear night allowed a complete view from start to finish, 3 - 4 March 2007
- Comet McNaught C/2006 P1:
The brightest comet in a generation, January 2007
- Harvest Moon Eclipse:
Only a partial eclipse but still a wonderful sight rising over the hills of
Kent, 7 Sept 2006
- Noctilucent Clouds:
Ice crystals on the very edge of space, 14 July 2006
- Dark Sun over the Sahara:
A spectacular total eclipse of the Sun seen from the Libyan desert, 29 March
2006
- Ring of Fire: An
annular eclipse of the Sun over Spain, 3 Oct 2005
- A Southern Hemisphere Lunar Eclipse: A total eclipse seen from Argentina, 28 - 29
Oct 2004
- Transit of Venus across the Sun: The first for 122 years, 8 June 2004
- A Quick tour of the Solar System: Four planets and three moons, 9 April 2004
- Fireworks Eclipse of the Moon: A total eclipse on fireworks night, 9 Nov 2003
- Sunstorm: Three
huge sunspots cause havoc, and wonderful aurorae (for those with clear skies),
27 Oct 2003
- Mars: closest approach
to Earth in 60,000 years, 30 Aug 2003
- Ring of Brodgar, Orkney Islands: An ancient stone circle in a barren northern
land, 8 Jun 2003
- Mercury Transit: The planet Mercury caught in a rare transit across the face
of the Sun, 7 May 2003
- Diamond Ring: a short but stunning
total solar eclipse in the Australian Outback, 4 Dec 2002
- Concrete Cows in
Milton Keynes, 16 Aug 2002
- International Space Station passes over Hay on Wye, 4 June 2002
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