Mercury
Only a little larger than Earth's Moon and never far from the Sun's glare, Mercury is a challenging target for the amateur and professional astronomer alike. With ever-improving imaging techniques and filters, many amateurs are resolving details on the tiny disk. The ALPO Mercury Section is the place to stay up to date on what's happening with the innermost planet and how to contribute to our knowledge about it.
   Mercury News Headlines
Tiny (But Rich!)
7/24/2024

space.com logoMove over Ft. Knox. NASA scientists recently put forth the idea that tiny Mercury may have up to 10 miles of diamonds as part of its mantle. Using data from the MESSENGER spacecraft which found patches of graphite on the surface, scientists believe that at the interface between mantle and core of the carbon-rich planet a diamond layer would develop.


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The Incredible Shrinking Mercury
10/7/2023

New research suggests that the Solar System’s smallest member – Mercury – may actually be continuing to shrink. The discovery that scarps on Mercury continue to move as recently as  300 million years ago implies the planet continues to cool and shrink.


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More Mercury News Headlines
   Event Calendar

Aug 18, 2024
Mercury at Inferior conjunction

Sep 04, 2024
Mercury at greatest western (morning) elongation

Sep 06, 2024
Mercury at dichotomy (morning sky)

Full Mercury Section Calendar
Observation Spotlight
Featured Mercury Observation
image
Observer: Luigi Morrone - IT
Equipment: C14 EDGE HD, ASI462MM in IR
Image taken by Luigi Morrone of Italy using a 355mm Celestron SCT resolves several large-scale features on Mercury. (WinJUPOS simulation at right)