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A nice clear evening on 15th April reveals the stage on which the forthcoming action will take place. Four of the five planets are in position (only Mercury is missing), but the Moon, with Earthshine clearly visible, makes a welcome addition to the line up.
The view to the west from Hurst Green on 15 Apr 2002, 21:03BST (20:03UT). Minolta Dimage 7, 7.4mm, 2s @ f/3.5, ISO400 |
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At around sunset on Sunday 21st April the sky quickly cleared after having had a veil of high cloud all day, and the first opportunity to spot Mercury presented itself. A predicted magnitude of -1.1 means that it would be about half as bright as Jupiter but about three times as bright as Saturn. However the low altitude usually makes Mercury quite a challenge to see with the naked eye.
At about 8.40pm BST Mercury proved no trouble in binoculars, found by sweeping down and to the right from Venus, just above half way between Venus and the horizon, at about 10 degrees. I am pleased to report that it is quite easy to see with the naked eye once you know where to look - the following pictures reveal all...
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This sets the scene quite nicely, though unfortunately is a little blurred - I'll be more careful next time! The bright star top left is Venus, and Mercury can just be seen in the gap between the trees, at the head of the arrow. It shows up much clearer in the next shot, but I wanted this one to prove that you were not in fact viewing Venus. The tall tree to the right is actually the same one as in the Saturn occultation scene and has Venus in the fork of the trunk. However, that picture was taken from my garden, whereas this one is further away on the road and has more zoom.
The view WNW on 21 Apr 2002, 20:41BST (19:41UT). Minolta Dimage 7, 36.2mm, 1/10s @ f/3.5, ISO400 |
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Mercury can be easily seen between the trees. Although this view is an improvement over the naked eye, it was not difficult to see once you had Venus and the trees to act as guide. Over the next few days Mercury should get easier to see as it pulls away from the Sun and approaches Venus. Although its brightness will slightly diminish, being able to see it in a darker sky will more than compensate.
Mercury over Hurst Green; 21 Apr 2002, 20:42BST (19:42UT). Minolta Dimage 7, 49.3mm, 1/10s @ f/3.5, ISO400 |
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Now that Mercury has joined the fray it is now possible to see 5 naked eye planets in the evening sky in one go. I shall attempt to obtain a group photograph too. This is a rare event - we will have to wait until July 2060 to see the planets as close together as this again.
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All 5 planets are now easily visible after sunset. Mercury is about the same brightness as Saturn and has not been this easy to see since 1995! 9.00 - 9.15pm probably being the best time to see all of them with the naked eye. The sky is sufficiently dark to allow the faintest (Mars) to be visible, while Mercury (the lowest) is still at a reasonable altitude. A clear view to the north-western horizon is recommended, as this picture demonstrates... Click here for a better view of the lower planets, and here to understand how this alignment happens
Planetary Line-up over Hurst Green; 24 Apr 2002, 21:03BST (20:03UT). Minolta Dimage 7, 8.4mm, 1/3s @ f/3.5, ISO400 |
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Saturn, Mars, Venus and Mercury seen in a line running from top left to bottom right of the picture. The star below and to the left of Saturn in Aldebaran, the brightest star of the constellation Taurus. 24 Apr 2002, 21:05BST (20:05UT). Minolta Dimage 7, 14mm, 1/3s @ f/3.5, ISO400 |
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Planetary Line-up over Hurst Green; 26 Apr 2002, 21:18BST (20:18UT). All 5 planets are easily visible on a single picture now, even when reduced to suit the Internet. In the following days the inner planets will begin to catch up with and overtake Saturn, and also draw nearer Jupiter, so presenting many further photographic opportunities ahead. Compare this line up with the situation in a month's time. Minolta Dimage 7, 8.4mm, 2/3s @ f/3.5, ISO400 |
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5 planets and an intruding aircraft over Hurst Green; 28 Apr 2002, 21:40BST (20:40UT). Not as nice a picture as the one of the 26th as it was taken 20 minutes later, the sky only just having cleared after being cloudy all day. Mars is quite hard to see on this reduced size picture, though is clear enough on the original, and Mercury is about to disappear behind a tree. Minolta Dimage 7, 9.3mm, 1s @ f/3.5, ISO400 |
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