Star Points for November, 2001; by Curtis Roelle Following Venus to Mercury Out of the five original naked eye planets that were known to the ancients Mercury has the reputation of being the most difficult to observe. The other four planets of old are Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Very few persons have seen Mercury with their own eyes. The late astronomer George O. Abell wrote that it was rumored Copernicus himself never viewed the planet. This rumor is almost certainly false since it is known that Copernicus made numerous planetary observations during the years 1497-1529. Right now you have an excellent opportunity to easily find Mercury in the morning sky. When you get up tomorrow morning on Monday, November 5, you can become one of the relatively few persons who can say they have had the privilege of seeing Mercury with their own two eyes. Read on to find out where, when, and how to look. Physically, Mercury is about twice as big across as the Moon. Mercury orbits the Sun once every 88 days and has no moons. Photographs by space probes have revealed a cratered surface not unlike that of the Moon. Mercury is the closest plant to the Sun and never strays very far away from it. Even when at its best for viewing Mercury must be observed shortly after sunset or before sunrise because it essentially rises and sets with the Sun each day. Indeed Mercury is never separated from the Sun by more than 28 degrees. This is only about three times the apparent width of your fist when extended at arm's length. In a dark sky Mercury would be a bright object and easy to see. However, due to its proximity to the Sun Mercury can be difficult to pick out against a bright twilight sky. Now, now how do you find Mercury tomorrow? At the present time Mercury is a morning object situated near the brilliant planet Venus. So if you can find Venus then seeing Mercury will be a snap. Go outside and face east about 40 minutes before sunrise, or around 6 a.m. EST. In the eastern sky about 1/4 of the way up you'll see the dazzling planet Venus. Take your binoculars and focus on Venus and then, keeping the planet in the field of view, look for the fainter "star-like" object to the upper left. That is Mercury. After spotting Mercury with your binoculars, lower them and try it with the naked eye. Can you easily see Mercury now? If you have a telescope you can try to see the planets' current phases. Venus is now on the opposite side of the Sun from us so in a telescope it appears somewhat roundish like a full moon. On October 29 Mercury reached its "greatest western elongation" meaning it was at the point of its farthest separation from the Sun in the morning sky. In a telescope tiny Mercury appears slightly more than half full. Since October 26 Mercury and Venus have been less than one degree apart in the sky! This close separation lasts for 11 days. After this you can still continue watching both planets as they drift further apart. Good luck and don't forget to drop a line to report your results. The e-mail address is StarPointsUSA@yahoo.com In other news the Westminster Astronomical Society will be hosting its annual "Telescope Buyers Workshop" at Bear Branch Nature Center starting at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 14. Members shall be displaying the different kinds of telescopes they own providing a service for would be holiday telescope purchasers to bone up on what's on the market. Find out what's good and what's not so good according to telescope owners. The WAS web site is westminsterastro.org. The anticipated peak of this year's Leonid meteor shower is expected to occur on the night of Saturday, November 17. Members of the WAS will be at the Soldier's Delight Nature Center in Baltimore County for that event. For more information about the Leonids consult the Star Points archives at members.fortunecity.com/starpoints/. In particular, see practically any of the previous November installments for historical Leonid information and viewing tips.