[Explanation] In March 2021, "astronomical dramas" such as Mercury West Distance and Samsung Moon will be staged one by one.

At 15:00 on March 5th, Jupiter and Mercury will stage a beautiful "Mercury conjunct Jupiter" astronomical phenomenon.

　　[Explanation] Hu Fanghao, an engineer from the Science Popularization Department of the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told reporters that when "Mercury conjunct Jupiter" occurs, you can see the largest planet in the solar system-Jupiter, and the smallest planet in the solar system-Mercury will meet in the sky.

　　[Concurrent] Hu Fanghao, Engineer, Science Popularization Department, Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences

　　This time Mercury and Jupiter will be conjunct at 3 pm on March 5th. Under the influence of sunlight, Mercury and Jupiter cannot be seen.

Therefore, you can choose to look for Mercury and Jupiter in the south-east position before sunrise that day.

Take the Nanjing area as an example. On March 5th, Jupiter rose at 5:13 and the sun rose at 6:28.

　　[Explanation] Hu Fanghao said that when "Mercury conjunct Jupiter" occurs, Jupiter is 0.3 degrees south of Mercury, which is when the two stars have a closer perspective.

At the same time, on the 6th, Mercury also ushered in the first westward distance of this year. Astronomers can witness the beautiful shadow of Mercury.

　　[Concurrent] Hu Fanghao, Engineer, Science Popularization Department, Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences

　　Mercury is the planet closest to the sun. It is submerged in sunlight most of the time and is invisible. Only when its angular distance from the sun reaches its maximum, that is, a large distance, will the public have the most hope to see Mercury.

Mercury is called east distance to the east of the sun, and west distance to the west of the sun.

At the eastern distance, Mercury is located in the low western sky at dusk; at the western distance, Mercury appears in the eastern low altitude before sunrise.

　　[Explanation] How to identify the position of Mercury, Hu Fanghao said.

　　[Concurrent] Hu Fanghao, Engineer, Science Popularization Department, Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences

　　During this westward distance, the angular distance between Mercury and the sun reached 27 degrees, which is one of the largest angular distances this year.

This is a good opportunity to observe Mercury. There is also Jupiter next to it as a reference, making it easier to find Mercury.

　　[Explanation] At that time, if the weather is fine, the interested public can see the mysterious Mercury with the help of telescopes.

　　Reporter Ge Yong from Nanjing, Jiangsu

Editor in charge: [Li Ji]