Catch Mercury Brushing Past Venus in a Spectacular Dusk ‘Quasi-Conjunction’ This Week

universetoday.com ^ | on January 5, 2015 | David Dickinson

[BenLurkin]

Missing Venus? The third brightest natural object in the heavens returns to prime time dusk skies in 2015 after being absent and lingering in the dawn for most of 2014. But there’s another reason to hunt down the Cytherean world this week, as elusive Mercury chases after it low in the dusk. If you’ve never seen Mercury for yourself, now is a great time to try, using brilliant Venus as a guide.

[BenLurkin]

Looking SW on January 10th an hour after sunset. Credit: Stellarium

[Scrambler Bob]

M4L

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

I’ll be busy getting my telescope centered on comet Lovejoy just South of Orion this week. Hope the weather clears.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks BenLurkin, extra to APoD.

[mikrofon]

Cytherean

NOW I know where else I remembered that term ....