Mercury - times to see?

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Mercury - times to see?

Hi all can someone please tell me the best times to see Mercury from
the south of the UK this year. ...


Because Mercury dwells within Earth's orbit, the question "When is
Mercury best seen?" has a more complicated answer than for planets
outside our orbit. You have a choice of optimum viewing circumstances:

Greatest elongation -- the maximum angular distance from the Sun.

Greatest heliacal altitude -- the maximum angular distance above the
horizon at sunrise or sunset (the exact date of which is a function of
the observer's geographic latitude).

Greatest illuminated extent -- the maximum amount of apparent sunlit
area on the planet's disk (i.e., the moment when the planet's visible
portion has greatest coverage on the observer's retina).

Greatest magnitude -- the moment of maximum total brightness (which is
often distinct from the moment of maximum surface brightness).


During any particular apparition of Mercury or Venus, these optimum
circumstances don't, in general, occur close together in time.

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Mark Gingrich San Leandro, California