This is a heads-up - literally - for an astronomical treat. This Sunday at twilight you can look into the western sky and our Moon, the planet Mercury, and the Pleiades star cluster in a very tight arc. This is a naked eye event, but binoculars and a small telescope will make for a revealing experience. For example, the moon will be a slight crescent, making it perfect for enjoying earthshine on the shadowed portion and fine details in the illuminated crescent. Mercury will be a pink jewel to the naked eye, but a telescope will show it is also in a crescent phase. Even with binoculars, new gazers will be surprised to find the Pleiades cluster actually contains hundreds of stars.Thanks to Spaceweather, an outstanding sky and space site, for the reminder. The page has a link if you want to read more.
Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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