StarDate

Moon and Companions


Listen Later

If you’re up early tomorrow, and you have a clear southeastern horizon, you might want to step out into the winter chill for a few seconds – or maybe just look out your kitchen window. The Moon will pass amazingly close to the star Antares, the heart of the scorpion. And an even brighter light will stand not far to the left: the planet Mercury. All three are quite low in the sky during the dawn twilight, and quickly vanish as the sky gets brighter.

The Moon and Antares are visible at some point during most nights of the year. And they can pass high across the sky, so they’re easy to pick out.

Mercury is a little more bashful. It’s the closest planet to the Sun – about a third of Earth’s distance. Because of that, Mercury never moves very far from the Sun in our sky. At best, it’s visible for a little while before sunrise, as it is now, or after sunset.

That makes Mercury a difficult target for skywatchers – and for professional astronomers. They can’t point their telescopes close to the Sun. And Mercury is almost always so low in the sky that it’s seen through a thick layer of air, which muddies the view.

The best views of Mercury have come from three spacecraft that have visited the planet. The third one has passed by Mercury three times, with another visit scheduled for next month. It should enter orbit in November of 2026 – providing the best views yet of this bashful little planet.

Script by Damond Benningfield

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

StarDateBy Billy Henry

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

251 ratings


More shows like StarDate

View all
Science Friday by Science Friday and WNYC Studios

Science Friday

6,133 Listeners

BirdNote Daily by BirdNote

BirdNote Daily

1,190 Listeners

Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science by The Planetary Society

Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science

1,345 Listeners

Radiolab by WNYC Studios

Radiolab

43,969 Listeners

Astronomy Cast by Fraser Cain and Dr. Pamela Gay

Astronomy Cast

2,866 Listeners

The 365 Days of Astronomy by 365DaysOfAstronomy.org

The 365 Days of Astronomy

346 Listeners

Universe Today Podcast by Fraser Cain

Universe Today Podcast

546 Listeners

Ask a Spaceman! by Paul M. Sutter

Ask a Spaceman!

804 Listeners

Space Nuts: Astronomy Insights & Cosmic Discoveries by Professor Fred Watson and Andrew Dunkley

Space Nuts: Astronomy Insights & Cosmic Discoveries

223 Listeners

SpaceTime: Your Guide to Space & Astronomy by Stuart Gary

SpaceTime: Your Guide to Space & Astronomy

320 Listeners

Short Wave by NPR

Short Wave

6,273 Listeners

The Supermassive Podcast by The Royal Astronomical Society

The Supermassive Podcast

287 Listeners

NASA's Curious Universe by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

NASA's Curious Universe

851 Listeners

Why This Universe? by Dan Hooper, Shalma Wegsman

Why This Universe?

363 Listeners

Crash Course Pods: The Universe by Crash Course Pods, Complexly

Crash Course Pods: The Universe

505 Listeners