posted on Jun, 29 2005 @ 08:19 PM
What I saw in the sky last night was something I have only seen once before in my life. At about 2030 local (MST), about fifteen degrees above
the western horizon, right next to Venus was a very tiny point of light about a degree separated from it -- and it was Mercury!
Venus and Mercury, as everyone who knows about the night sky will attest, are inferior planets; therefore, they're never that far from the Sun as
seen from Earth.
Venus may get about thirty degrees either ahead of it (when it's known as the "morning star" or following it (when it's know as the "evening
star", but that's about it. When it occults or is occulted by the sun, or within about six or seven degrees of the sun, it's lost in the glare.
Usually, When Venus is visible, it's (due to its proximity, size, and albedo) the brightest object in the night sky after the Moon.
Mercury, even closer to the Sun, is almost never far enough from the Sun's disk for you to see unless you know exactly what you're looking for.
Last night and the next couple of nights are a wonderful exception. You can see Venus and Mercury very close together (Mercury is to the left (south)
and very faint); Saturn is about six degrees further west (closer to the horizon).
What an awesome sight!
[edit on 29-6-2005 by Off_The_Street]