Stargazing News - August 19th, 2025
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All on Mon Aug 18 06:19:06 2025
Tuesday August 19, 2025
Mercury at Maximum Morning Visibility (pre-dawn)
On Tuesday, August 19, the planet Mercury will reach a maximum angle of 18.6 degrees from the sun and peak visibility for its current morning apparition. The innermost planet will be easiest to see between about 4:45 and 5:45 a.m.
in your local time zone while it climbs the eastern sky in Cancer. In a telescope Mercury will exhibit a nearly half-illuminated, waxing phase. Mercury's position close to the nearly upright morning ecliptic will make this good apparition for Northern Hemisphere observers, but a so-so one for those located south of the Equator, where the ecliptic will be tipped over. Jupiter, Venus, and the moon will share the sky with Mercury. Observers at tropical latitudes can also try and see the scattered stars of the Beehive Cluster (or Messier 44) positioned about two finger widths to Mercury's left (or 2.1 degrees to its celestial north).
(Data courtesy of Starry Night)
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