A rare apparition and well worth getting out early for…
This was the planet Mercury taken at 0557 this morning:
Mercury is best observed in the spring or autumn when it has the best height and inclination of axis relative to the Earth.
I’ve been fascinated by Mercury for years.
It is relatively unknown among the local planets and only two probes have ever visited it: Mariner 10 and the current MESSENGER mission.
You never get to see Mercury against a truly dark sky and given its speed and proximity to the Sun the chances of seeing it are slim.
Making the most of it
There is a phrase among astronomy buffs often applied to watching meteor showers:
You may see few or you might see many,
but if you stay indoors you won’t see any.
I feel that as a geomancer I have a responsibility to see things others might not.
Maybe our clients can’t or won’t see.
It’s a shame if something wondrous is ‘out there’ but nobody sees it.
Here it was a few minutes later at 0617:
A few moments later and it disappeared into the glare of another day being born.
Fantastic to see that ! Thank you for sharing it !
Jane! Thanks for stopping by!
Yes, it was a fantastic sight. So rare, so ephemeral and transitory. So close and yet so far.
It was only just visible and it disappeared so softly that I can hardly believe that I saw it now.
But, of course, the memory lingers.