China News Service, Nanjing, October 8 (Reporter Yang Yanci) According to the news from the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on the 8th, the mysterious Mercury will open the viewing window on the 9th, and the western distance of Mercury will soon land in the sky.
Among the three large western elongations of Mercury in 2022, this month's large western elongation is the one with the best observation conditions.
According to astronomers, Mercury's large western elongation means that Mercury appears to the west of the sun.
Because of its proximity to the sun, Mercury is often annihilated in the sun's brilliance and has only a few short-lived observable opportunities each year, making it the most difficult to observe among the eight planets in the solar system.
Therefore, the public has the best hope of seeing Mercury until the angular distance between Mercury and the sun is at its greatest, or great, distance.
Mercury is called the east elongation to the east of the sun, and it is called the west elongation to the west of the sun.
Mercury has a total of 7 major elongations this year, including 3 in the west and 4 in the east.
According to experts, whether Mercury is easy to observe does not entirely depend on the angular distance of the sun at large distances, but more importantly, the altitude.
During this large western elongation of Mercury, the angular distance between Mercury and the sun is only 18°, but the horizon height is the most ideal of the three large western elongations this year, so it is more conducive to the public observation of Venus.
At that time, as long as the weather is fine, one hour before sunrise, the interested public may wish to use binoculars or small astronomical telescopes, or even the naked eye to observe the rare "true face" of Mercury.
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