Planet Mercury

Welcome to Planet Mercury
A website about the planet Mercury

Mercury is the first planet in our solar system. Named for the messenger god, Mercury is sometimes placed as the morning or evening star.

Being an inner planet, that is within Earth orbit, it never appears very far away from the Sun, so learning when the optimal times when Venus is furthest away from the Sun, it ket to observing Mercury. In this website we calculate those times known as "Elongations."

Today in Astronomy History
courtesy of astroplanet.info

May 18, 1048
Persian astronomer and stellar cartographer, Omar Khayyam, is born. Omar Khayyam calculate the length of the year to 6 decimal places with a one day error every 5000 years (The Gregorian calendar has a one day error every 3330 years.)

May 18, 1910
The Earth passes through the tail of Halley's Comet

May 18, 1969
Apollo 10 Launches