This night, within the early night time of 25 February 2025, Mercury and Saturn will likely be shut in combination within the twilight sky, making for an exquisite conjunction of the 2 planets.
Everybody’s speaking concerning the seven-planet parade visual this weekend, 28 February, however after all the planets are already visual within the sky this week.
You do not want to wait till 28 February to peer them!
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It is merely that 28 February is one in all your best possible probabilities to peer Mercury, which has only recently emerged into the night time sky and has change into the 7th Sun Device international visual this month.
This night, 25 February, gives a pleasant teaser of the planet alignment, as Mercury and Saturn – two of the trickiest planets to peer this present day – are separated by means of simply 1.5° within the sky.
That is kind of the width of 1 finger held up along with your arm outstretched, and Saturn will likely be situated beneath Mercury.
Simulation appearing a close-up of Mercury and Saturn in combination within the night time sky on 25 February 2025. Credit score: Stellarium
Timings will range relying on the place you might be situated, however kind of 5.50pm is the time to seem.
You’ll be able to want to glance within the west-southwest, and you can be pondering that, at the moment of the day, that is precisely the place the Solar will likely be atmosphere.
And you would be proper, however Mercury is these days shining at a ‘magnitude’ of –1.1.
Magnitude is the price astronomers use to explain how shiny an object is, and the decrease the quantity, the brighter the thing.
In different phrases, Mercury will have to be visual, even in the course of the orangey twilight of the night time sky.
Additionally, the Solar will have to have set by means of this time (see our UK break of day and sundown timings), which is essential as you do not need to be taking a look too with regards to the Solar with out using sun filters.
You’re going to want a transparent western horizon as a result of each planets will likely be low down within the sky by the point it will get darkish.
The clearer your horizon, the easier probability you will have to see Mercury and Saturn beneath darkness.
As soon as Mercury and Saturn have in any case set beneath the horizon and the sky will get correctly darkish, you can see the brilliant planet Venus in kind of the similar place.
The sky will likely be a lot darker and Venus will likely be unmistakable: the actual ‘big name’ of the display this present day!
Venus remains to be a shiny, naked-eye object this week. It is shiny within the western sky round 7pm. This can be a simulated view. Credit score: Stellarium
An issue of point of view
After all, Mercury and Saturn are not in point of fact shut in combination, with regards to their respective places within the Sun Device.
It is simply that they seem as such from our point of view on Earth, as we gaze up on the 2D ‘dome’ we name the night time sky.
Two celestial our bodies being it sounds as if shut in combination within the night time sky is referred to as a ‘conjunction’ (greater than two and you have got a massing!)
In truth, Mercury is ready 58 million km (36 million miles) from the Solar, in keeping with NASA, and sits between the Solar and Earth’s orbit.
Saturn, however, is a whopping 1.4 billion km (886 million miles) from the Solar, and is without doubt one of the outer planets of the Sun Device.
So in spite of Saturn being about 25 instances greater than Mercury, Mercury seems to be a lot brighter to the bare eye.
Take a look this night and spot if you’ll spot Mercury as a twilight beacon low within the west, and whether or not you’ll additionally see Saturn beneath it.
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