Crescent of Mercury and if the Moon
Taken by PAOLO PALMA on June 19, 2026 @
Roma - Italy
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Just like Venus, Mercury also displays phases through a telescope that seem to mimic those of the Moon.
But last night it did so in a rather special way.
Just like the Moon, in fact, it displayed a phase of around 30 per cent. And having observed it at 216x magnification, it appeared through the telescope to be practically the same apparent size as the Moon seen with the naked eye!
In fact, by multiplying Mercury’s angular diameter by yesterday’s magnification of 8.90 arcseconds, that ‘tiny’ crescent seen through the eyepiece was practically the same angular size as the Moon seen with the naked eye, that is, about 1930 arcseconds.
What a lovely coincidence: all you had to do was look through the eyepiece and then glance up at the Moon to see a planet and a satellite, separated by enormous distances yet appearing identica, in shape and in dumension.
The only difference is that whilst the Moon is in its waxing phase, Mercury is in its waning phase.
Shots taken with a Huawei p30 pro. Dobson telescope Sky-Watcher 18"
Photographer's website:
https://www.unsaltonelcielo.it
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