Seven Degrees Of Mercury

Thwarted from view for nearly an hour after sunset, the elusive planet Mercury finally emerged from horizon cloud cover and afterglow around 8:50 pm CDT, Sunday, April 17, 2016, when it was about 7 degrees above the horizon. The camera looks WNW here from the grounds at Echo Hill Presbyterian Church north of Marion, Iowa. Image is a 15-second exposure at f/13, 400 ISO, 80mm focal length. Mercury shone at -0.02 magnitude and was one day away from its greatest elongation. Cloud cover and the forecast of rain on Monday evening precluded its appearance on its optimum day of separation from the sun. Air temperature at the moment of photo capture was 64 degrees F, relative humidity 56%. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.