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Old 26-04-2021, 07:17 PM
N1 (Mirko)
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Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Dunners Nu Zulland
Posts: 1,665
Venus and Mercury - daytime

At about 8° separation from, and trailing the Sun, finding Venus in the daytime sky with the 8" dob is now safe* and straight-forward. The seeing supported about 110x (ES 82°11) which was plenty to show a bright and well-defined disk, 99% illuminated, so almost perfectly round. A pleasant view everytime. What was unexpected was that 94% illuminated Mercury, about a degree north and just past conjunction with Venus (25 April) and superior conjunction with the Sun (19 April), was also clearly visible with both objects fitting nicely in the same field of the ES 68°28 at 42x. Mercury's disk, about 5" wide, was also very obvious at 110x but noticeably dimmer and of a warmer tone than Venus.

I'll be interested to see what Mercury might yield around inferior conjunction.

No photos sorry, too busy enjoying the view.

*telescope fully in the shade behind the house at all times, requiring it to be moved at roughly 10-minute interals so fairly relaxed.
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