Something interesting to watch for is how the planets seem to change position night to night. Between Oct. 22 and Oct. 29, we’ll have a “summit meeting” of the three planets … defined as a “trio” when they’re within 5 degrees of each other. Mercury, the planet has been named after Mercury, the swift-footed messenger of the gods. This is one of the best times of the year to catch a glimpse at Mercury.
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As the end of October approaches, Mercury will get brighter and brighter. It was only in the fifth century BC when Pythagoras noted that Mercury and Apollo were one and the same.
Mercury rises before the sun all of this month and is surprisingly easy to see from now through Halloween. The triple conjunction will reach its peak on Monday, October 26, when Venus and Jupiter come close enough to each other to look like a “double planet”. Mercury will shine about 7 degrees above the horizon, at a bright -0.5 magnitude.
“During this period, at approximately 06:00 (BST), the red planet Mars lies in a roughly ESE direction at a almost constant altitude of approximately 25 degrees above the horizon”.
It’s at greatest elongation, 18-degrees to the west of the sun, on October 16. Jupiter is the second brightest, and Mars is much fainter. Start your search for Mercury on Wednesday morning around 6:30 a.m.by observing from a location that has a clear view of the eastern horizon without obstructions from trees or houses.
Like the Moon and Venus, Mercury goes through a cycle of phases.
Mercury is just one of the planets that are visible during the month of October. But now the amount of its surface illuminated by the sun will continue to rapidly increase in the days to come. The brightest day for viewing will be October 30 when Mercury will be brighter in the sky than all stars except Sirius.
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On the morning of October 30. the innermost planet will appear next to the bluish colored star Spica in the constellation Virgo.
