Planets Mercury and Mars via EarthSky Facebook friend Marco Mereu in Italy. View larger.The red A marks the location of Monte Viso, or Monviso, near the border between France and Italy.
EarthSky Facebook friend Marco Mereu captured this image of the planets Mercury and Mars in western twilight this past week. They are seen here over Monte Viso (or Monviso), the highest mountain of the Cottian Alps, located in Italy close to the French border. On the northern slopes of Monte Viso are the headwaters of the Po River.
In this past week, we received many photos of Mars and Mercury as seen from around the world. The two planets were closest on February 8, 2013, the day of their conjunction, when they shared the same right ascension on the sky’s dome (equivalent to longitude on Earth). At conjunction, these two worlds appeared only a fraction of one degree apart, less than the width of your little finger at an arm’s length.
Deborah Byrd (asteroid 3505 Byrd) helps edit EarthSky.org and is a frequent host of EarthSky videos. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named in her honor in 1990, a Public Service Award from the National Science Board in 2003, and the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2020. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
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