PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for
the week of February 10th. We’re your hosts, Paul…
STEPHEN
…and Stephen.
PAUL
Tiny Mercury makes an appearance
this week. Few people have seen this elusive planet because it never appears
very far above the horizon. This week however, the planet reaches its highest
elevation above the western horizon. The planet can be quite bright, so it’s
not difficult to see, if you know where to look.
STEPHEN
Use Venus as your guide. Go
outside at 7:00 PM and look for Venus, or the Evening Star. It’s the brightest object
in the west-southwest, so you can’t miss it. Mercury, which is closer to the sun,
is located to the lower right of Venus. Mercury is the only object appearing below
Venus and at a point due west above the horizon.
PAUL
Mercury is a small rocky world
with a diameter of 3,000 miles. That makes it a bit larger than the moon and
less than half the size of the Earth. Without an atmosphere, the surface of
Mercury is pummeled with meteoroids. Its surface is so cratered than it easy to
mistake Mercury for the moon.
STEPHEN
Mercury was first visited by the
Mariner 10 spacecraft in 1974. The 1,000-pound spacecraft didn’t carry enough
propellant to slow down. That means Mariner 10 flew past Mercury collecting
data and pictures. However, Mariner 10 was in orbit around the sun, so the
spacecraft was able to visit Mercury two additional times.
PAUL
That’s Idaho Skies
for the week of February 10th.
STEPHEN
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies for this
week’s event reminders and sky maps.
For Idaho Skies this is Stephen…
PAUL
…and Paul.
STEPHEN
Dark skies and bright stars.
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