This week Mercury will be exiting the dawn sky, sliding closer to the Sun in our sky each day. It will pass through superior conjunction on January 17th, heading for an evening apparition beginning in the final days of January.
Mercury Events for 2012 |
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Date UT | Date HST | Separation | |||
Superior Conjunction | Feb 7 | 08:54UT | Feb 6 | 22:54HST | |
Maximum Elongation | Mar 5 | 08:59UT | Mar 4 | 22:59HST | 18.2°E |
Inferior Conjunction | Mar 21 | 19:19UT | Mar 21 | 09:19HST | |
Maximum Elongation | Apr 18 | 16:59UT | Apr 18 | 06:59HST | 27.5°W |
Superior Conjunction | May 27 | 11:14UT | May 27 | 01:14HST | |
Maximum Elongation | July 1 | 01:59UT | Jun 30 | 15:59HST | 25.7°E |
Inferior Conjunction | Jul 28 | 19:54UT | Jul 28 | 09:54HST | |
Maximum Elongation | Aug 16 | 11:59UT | Aug 16 | 01:59HST | 18.7°W |
Superior Conjunction | Sep 10 | 12:37UT | Sep 10 | 02:37HST | |
Maximum Elongation | Oct 26 | 21:59UT | Oct 26 | 11:59HST | 24.1°E |
Inferior Conjunction | Nov 17 | 15:42UT | Nov 17 | 05:42HST | |
Maximum Elongation | Dec 4 | 22:59UT | Dec 4 | 12:59HST | 20.6°W |
Source: NASA Sky Calendar and the Mercury Chaser’s Calculator | |||||
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