Pretty much your last chance to easily see Mercury over the next few days as the planet closest to the Sun swings by Venus. The two will be closest on the 19th at about a finger width apart.
Get out about 45 minutes after sunset and face the NNW. Venus is easy to spot and Mercury will be the bright golden-yellow "star" nearest to Venus. Use of binoculars really helps to spot the planetary duo and highlight their colors.
With yesterday's blog about seeing all 360 degrees of Mercury courtesy of the MESSENGER spacecraft, this is a good time to see the planet with your own eyes and then look at the video again.
Sky Guy in VA
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