Mercury in daylight
Taken by PAOLO PALMA on May 17, 2026 @
Roma - Italy
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Camera Used: Unavailable Unavailable Exposure Time: Unavailable Aperture: Unavailable ISO: Unavailable Date Taken: 2026:05:18 08:58:57 |
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Details:
Here is Mercury in broad daylight amidst hundreds of tufts of pollen, just three days after its superior conjunction with the Sun.
So the planet isn’t visible because it’s still just a few degrees from the Sun, but it’s precisely under these conditions that it reaches its maximum brightness.
So I tried to photograph it with a Nikon, hiding the Sun behind the leaves of the hedge and framing the patch of sky where it should have been. To make sure the Nikon was in focus, I aimed first at Venus, which, being bright and far from the Sun, isn’t that hard to see in daylight.
It was only when I looked at the video on my computer that I realised I’d succeeded, as Mercury appears as the only stationary dot amongst hundreds of tufts of white pollen blown by the wind.
I’d tried the day before as well, but the sky was probably less clear and Mercury was too immersed in the Sun’s glare.
The video is visible in my website
Photographer's website:
https://www.unsaltonelcielo.it
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