Observation by Chris Hooker: Mercury on 17th June 2024

Uploaded by

Chris Hooker

Observer

Chris Hooker

Observed

2024 Jun 17 - 06:55

Uploaded

2024 Jun 19 - 17:13

Objects

Mercury

Equipment
  • 254 mm F/6.3 Newtonian
  • 5x IR Barlow
  • 685 nm long-pass and 850 nm short-pass filters
  • ZWO ASI174MM camera
Exposure

Exposure 0.8 ms @ F/31

Location

Didcot, Oxfordshire

Target name

Mercury

Title

Mercury on 17th June 2024

About this image

Mercury imaged in the near infra-red just after superior conjunction, at an elongation of 3.4 degrees east. Despite being at a relatively low altitude over sunlit roofs, the image was reasonably stable at times, allowing an unusually large proportion (nearly 3%) of the captured frames to be used for the final image. The result is my best conjunction image of Mercury to date, showing good agreement with a blurred WinJupos reference image, although the wavelet sharpening has produced a bright edge to the disc.

SAFETY NOTE: Imaging Mercury when very close to the Sun can be risky, and should be attempted only by experienced imagers, using the safety precautions detailed in the BAA Mercury Observing Guide. The guide can be downloaded free by members from the Mercury and Venus section web page.

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