A thin crescent moon appears low in the southwestern sky tonight. Take a look to the right and you may see a faint "star" underneath. The bright planet Mercury, one of the hardest visible planets, will be there by itself.
The two are sinking in the west, right after sunset. They are in the zodiacal constellation Gemini, a constellation we most often associate with cold winter. Make room for the stars of summer, now high in our evening sky.
You get another chance to look for Mercury in the nights ahead, but the moon will be farther away. Mercury is a fast moving, fleeting planet. We've only got a few days to see it.
Mercury reaches its greatest elongation, greatest distance from the sun, for our viewing next Friday, July 4. Next week will be the easiest time to find the planet, when it is farthest from the sun.
| Day | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., June 27 | 5:08 | 8:20 |
| Sat., June 28 | 5:09 | 8:20 |
| Sun., June 29 | 5:09 | 8:20 |
| Mon., June 30 | 5:10 | 8:19 |
| Tues., July 1 | 5:10 | 8:19 |
| Wed., July 2 | 5:11 | 8:19 |
| Thurs., July 3 | 5:11 | 8:19 |
| Fri., July 4 | 5:12 | 8:19 |
| Day | Max (Fº) | Min (Fº) | Inches |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 20 | 76 | 62 | 0.00 |
| June 21 | 82 | 57 | 0.00 |
| June 22 | 80 | 62 | T |
| June 23 | 83 | 68 | 0.00 |
| June 24 | 86 | 66 | 0.00 |
| June 25 | 94 | 71 | 0.00 |
| June 26 | 94 | 67 | 0.01 |
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