The planet Mercury is starting a morning apparition. The planet should become visible this week just above the dawn as a magnitude -1 object. The planet is moving more than 1° further from the Sun and higher in the morning sky each day, reaching a maximum elongation of 18° on October 15th.
Mercury Events for 2015 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date UT | Date HST | Separation | |||
| Maximum Elongation | Jan 14 | 19:59UT | Jan 14 | 09:59HST | 18.9°E |
| Inferior Conjunction | Jan 30 | 13:40UT | Jan 30 | 03:40HST | |
| Maximum Elongation | Feb 24 | 15:59UT | Feb 24 | 05:59HST | 26.7°W |
| Superior Conjunction | Apr 10 | 03:52UT | Apr 09 | 17:52HST | |
| Maximum Elongation | May 7 | 04:59UT | May 6 | 18:59HST | 21.2°E |
| Inferior Conjunction | May 30 | 16:53UT | May 30 | 06:53HST | |
| Maximum Elongation | Jun 24 | 16:59UT | Jun 24 | 06:59HST | 22.5°W |
| Superior Conjunction | Jul 23 | 19:18UT | Jul 23 | 09:18HST | |
| Maximum Elongation | Sep 4 | 09:59UT | Sep 3 | 23:59HST | 27.1°E |
| Inferior Conjunction | Sep 30 | 14:36UT | Sep 30 | 04:36HST | |
| Maximum Elongation | Oct 16 | 02:59UT | Oct 15 | 16:59HST | 18.1°W |
| Superior Conjunction | Nov 17 | 14:45UT | Nov 17 | 04:45HST | |
| Maximum Elongation | Dec 29 | 02:59UT | Dec 28 | 16:59HST | 19.7°E |
| Source: NASA Sky Calendar and the Mercury Chaser’s Calculator, yes there appears to be a bug in the NASA sky calendar that always puts XX:59 minutes for the maximum elongation time. | |||||
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