More Mercury, By Jupiter!

The planets Mercury (top speck of light) and Jupiter set in the western sky around 8:10 PM, Friday, March 18, 2011--just under an hour after the sun had set. Since Mercury never strays far from the sun in our skies it is somewhat unusual that it claims a higher point in the sky than a companion planet--in this case Jupiter. Mercury will achieve its greatest eastern elongation (farthest evening visual separation from the sun) on Tuesday, March 22. This view looks over a housing development just west of the grounds at Noelridge Christian Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The speck of light just below Jupiter, resembling a planet itself, is actually a water tower beacon from the neighboring city of Hiawatha. The image was captured using a two-second exposure at f/7.1, 640 ISO and a focal length of 75mm.