The Sky Today on Sunday, August 2: Mercury at greatest western elongation
Mercury reaches its greatest western elongation on August 2, offering a prime opportunity for skywatchers to view the planet near the eastern horizon before sunrise. The article also details upcoming celestial alignments involving the Moon, Saturn, and Neptune.
Why it matters
This provides actionable information for amateur astronomers and enthusiasts interested in tracking planetary movements.
Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.
Mercury reaches its greatest western elongation at 4 A.M. EDT, standing 19° from the Sun. The tiny planet reaches an altitude of almost 5° above the eastern horizon an hour before sunrise, glowing at magnitude 0.2. It’s the brightest object in Gemini, sitting to the right of the Twins’ heads, marked by the stars Castor and Pollux. Mercury is about 9° to the right of the lower star, Pollux. Over to the far right of Mercury is the familiar hourglass shape of Orion the Hunter, his three-star belt standing vertically in the sky just above the horizon.
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