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Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, August 17th. Today the Sun will be up for 13 hours and 57 minutes, setting at 8:45, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:48. The Moon, 2 days before last quarter, will rise at 11:37 this evening.
Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. Two of the naked-eye planets are in the evening sky: Mercury sets too close to the Sun to be seen in the evening, but as it gets darker, Saturn can be seen low in the southeast. At 6 am tomorrow, the planets will be spread out from brilliant Venus low in the east-northeast to Saturn in the west-southwest. Mars will be a lot higher than Venus in the southeast. Jupiter is farther to the right in the south-southwest. Mars is dimmer than Jupiter, but is slowly getting brighter as the Earth creeps up on it. Saturn ends the line of planets lower than Venus, if it’s visible at all, in the west-southwest, only 5 degrees above a sea, or Lake Michigan horizon.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
An animation showing Saturn at 10 pm, along with three zodiacal constellations, with and without labels, just after the end of nautical twilight tonight at 10 pm, August 17, 2022. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
The Moon as it might appear at midnight tonight, August 18, 2022. Created using Stellarium.
Views of Saturn, Jupiter, and Venus (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification. The times vary for each planet. Jupiter is shown twice, at midnight and 6 am, since its moons, especially Io and Europa, move rapidly. I do not show planets less than 10 seconds of arc in diameter, so Mars doesn’t show up yet. It will soon. Apparent diameters: Saturn 18.76″, its rings 43.70″; Jupiter 47.33″. Mars 9.04″, 84.7% illuminated; Venus 10.31″, 94.3% illuminated. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on August 17, 2022. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 18th. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp program.
08/10/2022 – Ephemeris – Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, August 10th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 16 minutes, setting at 8:56, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:40. The Moon, 1 day before full, will set at 5:37 tomorrow morning.
Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. All but one of the naked-eye planets are in the morning sky, That one is Mercury, too close to the Sun to be seen in the evening. At 6 am tomorrow, the planets will be spread out from brilliant Venus low in the east-northeast to Saturn in the west-southwest. Mars will be a lot higher than Venus in the southeast. Jupiter is farther to the right in the south-southwest. Mars is dimmer than Jupiter, but is slowly getting brighter as the Earth creeps up on it. Saturn ends the line of planets much lower than Venus in the west-southwest. Tonight, Saturn will rise about 9:12 pm in the east-southeast. It won’t be in the morning sky next week, having moved into the evening sky.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Saturn and the Moon at 10 in the evening. Saturn is not officially in the evening sky, but it rises shortly after sunset. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon tonight with animated labels for 10 pm, August 10, 2022. Created using Stellarium; Labels, LibreOffice Draw, animation, GIMP.
Morning planets at 6 am tomorrow morning, August 11, 2022. With six weeks left in summer, the bright winter stars begin to appear in morning twilight, along with the planets. Click on the image to enlarge it. The span of the planets from Venus to Saturn is 158 degrees. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.
Views of Saturn, Jupiter, and Venus (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification. Saturn is shown at 10 pm EDT (UT -4) on August 10, 2022. Jupiter and Venus are shown for, tomorrow morning at 6 am. I do not show planets less than 10 seconds of arc in diameter. Apparent diameters: Saturn 18.76″, its rings 43.70″; Jupiter 46.47″. Mars is not shown, its apparent diameter is 8.71″, 84.7% illuminated; Venus 10.46″, 94.3% illuminated. Jupiter’s moon Europa is in the planet’s shadow at that time. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on August 10, 2022. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 11th. Notice that all the naked-eye planets except Mercury are in the morning sky now. That’s about to change in a week and a half, when Saturn moves into the evening sky at opposition on the 14th. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp program.
08/03/2022 – Ephemeris – Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, August 3rd. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 34 minutes, setting at 9:05, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:32. The Moon, 2 days before first quarter, will set at 11:56 this evening.
Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. All but one of the naked-eye planets are in the morning sky, That one is Mercury, too close to the Sun to be seen in the evening. At 5:30 tomorrow morning, the planets will be spread out from brilliant Venus low in the east-northeast to Saturn in the southwest. Mars will be a lot higher than Venus in the southeast. Jupiter is farther to the right in the south. Mars is dimmer than Jupiter, but is slowly getting brighter as the Earth creeps up on it. Saturn ends the line of planets much lower than Jupiter in the southwest. Tonight, Saturn will rise about 9:33 pm in the east-southeast, though it won’t be an official evening planet until it rises before sunset, which is 11 days away.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The annotated Moon for 10:30 this evening, August 3, 2022. Labels are centered on the feature they name. The crater Theophilus isn’t as prominent as it would have been 12 hours earlier, when it was nearer the terminator, the sunrise line. Search for it in the box above, right on this page, where I have more to say about it. It’s one of my favorite craters. Created using Stellarium, Libreoffice Draw, and GIMP.
Morning planets at 5:30 am tomorrow, August 4, 2022. With summer almost half over, the bright winter stars begin to appear in morning twilight along with the planets. Click on the image to enlarge it. The span of the planets from Venus to Saturn is 148 degrees. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.
Views of Saturn, Jupiter, and Venus (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification, tomorrow morning at 5:30 am, August 4, 2022. I do not show planets less than 10 seconds of arc in diameter. Apparent diameters: Saturn 18.73″, its rings 43.63″; Jupiter 45.54″. Mars is not shown, its apparent diameter is 8.41″, 84.7% illuminated; Venus 10.64″, 93.2% illuminated. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on August 3, 2022. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 4th. Notice that all the naked-eye planets except Mercury are in the morning sky now. That’s about to change in a week and a half, when Saturn moves into the evening sky when it reaches opposition from the Sun on the 14th. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp program.
07/27/2022 – Ephemeris – Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, July 27th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 50 minutes, setting at 9:14, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:24. The Moon, 1 day before new, will rise at 5:52 tomorrow morning.
Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. All but one of the naked-eye planets are in the morning sky, That one is Mercury, too close to the Sun to be seen in the evening. At 5:30 am tomorrow, the planets will be spread out from brilliant Venus low in the east-northeast to Saturn in the southwest. Mars will be a lot higher than Venus in the east-southeast. Jupiter is farther to the right in the south. Mars is dimmer than Jupiter, but is slowly getting brighter as the Earth creeps up on it. Saturn ends the line of planets much lower than Jupiter in the southwest. Tonight, Saturn will rise about 10:06 pm, though it won’t be an official evening planet until it rises before sunset, which won’t happen until August 14th.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Morning planets at 5:30 am tomorrow , July 28, 2022. The planets and Moon actually appear in a straight line in the sky, being placed along the ecliptic, or path of the Sun in the sky. The ecliptic is a great circle on the celestial sphere. Click on the image to enlarge it. The span of the planets from Venus to Saturn is 140 degrees. Two of winter’s first magnitude stars, Aldebaran and Capella, are now visible in morning twilight. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.
Views of Saturn, Jupiter, and Venus (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification, tomorrow morning at 5:30 am, July 28, 2022. I do not show planets less than 10 seconds of arc in diameter. Apparent diameters: Saturn 18.67″, its rings 43.49″; Jupiter 44.58″. Mars is not shown, its apparent diameter is 8.13″, 84.8% illuminated; Venus 10.84″, 91.9% illuminated. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Noting Jupiter and moons image: Europa has just appeared from being behind Jupiter’s disk at 5:27 am (8:27 UT). It had disappeared into Jupiter’s shadow earlier at 12:23 am (4:23 UT).
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on July 27, 2022. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 28th. Notice that all the naked-eye planets except Mercury are in the morning sky now. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp program.
07/20/2022 – Ephemeris – Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, July 20th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 5 minutes, setting at 9:21, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:17. The Moon, at last quarter today, will rise at 1:13 tomorrow morning.
Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. All but one of the naked-eye planets are in the morning sky, That one is Mercury, too close to the Sun to be seen in the evening. At 5:15 am tomorrow, the planets will be spread out from brilliant Venus low in the east-northeast to Saturn higher in the south-southwest. Mars will be a lot higher than Venus in the east-southeast. The waning crescent Moon will be just right of Mars. Jupiter is farther to the right in the southeast. Mars is dimmer than Jupiter, but is slowly getting brighter as the Earth creeps up on it. Saturn ends the line of planets lower than Jupiter in the south-southwest. Tonight, Saturn will rise about 10:30 pm, though it won’t be an official evening planet until it rises before sunset, which won’t happen until mid-August.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The morning planets and the Moon at 5:15 am tomorrow morning, July 21, 2022. The planets and Moon actually appear in a straight line in the sky, being placed along the ecliptic, or path of the Sun in the sky. The ecliptic is a great circle on the celestial sphere. Click on the image to enlarge it. The span of the planets from Venus to Saturn is 129 degrees. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.
Animated last quarter Moon at 5:15 tomorrow morning, July 21, 2022, with labels. Created using Stellarium and LibreOffice.
Translations
Mare Frigoris – Sea of Cold
Mare Humorum – Sea of Moisture
Mare Imbrium – Sea of Showers
Mare Nubium – Sea of Clouds
Mare Serenitatis – Sea of Serenity
Mare Vaporum – Sea of Vapors
Montes Apenninus – Apennine Mountains
Oceanus Procellarum – Ocean of Storms
Sinus Iridium – Bay of Rainbows
Sinus Medii – Central Bay
Note that Mare is pronounced Mar-é
Views of Saturn, Jupiter, and Venus (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification, tomorrow morning at 5:15 am, July 21, 2022. I do not show planets less than 10 seconds of arc in diameter. Apparent diameters: Saturn 18.56″, its rings 43.24″; Jupiter 43.47″. Mars is not shown, its apparent diameter is 7.84″; Venus 11.10″. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on July 21, 2022. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 21st. Notice that all the naked-eye planets except Mercury are in the morning sky now. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp program.
06/22/2022 – Ephemeris – Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, June 22nd. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 34 minutes, setting at 9:32, and it will rise tomorrow at 5:57. The Moon, 2 days past last quarter, will rise at 2:48 tomorrow morning.
Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. All the naked-eye planets are in the morning sky, although Mercury may be too close to the Sun to be seen. It might just be visible low in the east-northeast after 5. That’s at least for those as far north as we are. At 5 am tomorrow the planets will be spread out from Mercury, actually invisible, near the horizon, brilliant Venus low in the east-northeast to Saturn higher in the south. To the right of Venus, tomorrow morning, stretching from east to southeast, will be the Moon, Mars and Jupiter. Mars is quite a bit dimmer than Jupiter. All will be in line sloping to the upper right with Saturn all by its lonesome in the south. The naked-eye planets are arranged in the morning sky, in the same order as their distances from the Sun.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The morning planets and the waning crescent Moon at 5 am tomorrow morning, June 23, 2022. Click on the image to enlarge it. The span of the planets from Venus to Saturn is 95 degrees. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.
Waning crescent Moon closeup, annotated, as seen in binoculars or a small telescope. Created using Stellarium, Libreoffice and GIMP.
Views of Saturn, Jupiter, and Venus (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification, tomorrow morning at 5:00 am, June 23, 2022. I do not show planets less than 10 seconds of arc in diameter. Apparent diameters: Saturn 17.99″, its rings 41.90″; Jupiter 39.86″. Mars is not shown, its apparent diameter is 7.00″ and is 86.1% illuminated; Venus 12.27″, 84.1% illuminated. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree). Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on June 22, 2022. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 23rd. Notice that all the naked-eye planets are in the morning sky now. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp program.
05/25/2022 – Ephemeris – Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, May 25th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 10 minutes, setting at 9:15, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:04. The Moon, 3 days past last quarter, will rise at 4:22 tomorrow morning. | Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. All the naked-eye planets are back in the morning sky, although the newcomer, Mercury, is too close to the Sun to be seen, and may stay that way for the rest of its morning appearance. That’s at least for those as far north as we are (45° N). At 5 am tomorrow the planets will be spread out from brilliant Venus low in the east to Saturn higher in the southeast. To the right of Venus, tomorrow morning, will be the thin crescent Moon. Farther right is the quite bright Jupiter. Just to the right of Jupiter will be the dimmest of the 4, Mars, which is closing on Jupiter. The two will seem to pass each other on Sunday. All will be in line sloping to the upper right with Saturn all by its lonesome in the southeast.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
All the morning planets except Mercury, which is too close to the Sun to be seen, will be visible at 5 am tomorrow morning, May 26, 2022. The labels for Mars and Jupiter are on top of each other. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.
The waning crescent moon as it might appear in binoculars tomorrow morning, May 26, 2022. Earth shine might also illuminate the Moon’s night side. Created using Stellarium.
Views of Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification, tomorrow morning at 5:00 am, May 26, 2022. I do not show planets less than 10 seconds of arc in diameter. Apparent diameters: Venus 14.13″, 76.1% illuminated; Saturn 17.20″, its rings 40.06″; Jupiter 36.80″. Mars is not shown, its apparent diameter is 6.30″ and is 87.7% illuminated. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on May 25, 2022. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 26th. Notice that all the naked-eye planets are in the morning sky now. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp program.
05/18/2022 – Ephemeris – Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, May 18th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 56 minutes, setting at 9:07, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:10. The Moon, 2 days past full, will rise at 12:43 tomorrow morning.
Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. The one bright planet in the evening sky, Mercury, will pass between us and the Sun this Saturday to join the rest of the naked-eye planets in the morning sky. So that’s where the planet action is. At 5:15 am tomorrow, the planets will be spread out from brilliant Venus low in the east to Saturn higher in the southeast. Venus may be missed at that time, but may be up sufficiently by 5:30. To the right of Venus is the quite bright Jupiter. Farther right will be the dimmest of the 4, Mars, which is closing on Jupiter. The two will seem to pass each other on the 29th of this month. All will be in line, sloping to the upper right. They are still quite a sight to behold in the morning twilight.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Moon as it might appear in binoculars or a small telescope tomorrow morning at 1:30 May 19, 2022. Created using Stellarium, GIMP and LibreOffice.
The morning planet parade is widening as Venus is moving away from Jupiter and toward the Sun. Mars is approaching Jupiter and will catch up to it on the 29th. These are shown at 5:15 am, or about an hour before sunrise tomorrow morning, May 19, 2022. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.
Views of Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification, tomorrow morning at 5:15 am, May 19, 2022. I do not show planets less than 10 seconds of arc in diameter. Apparent diameters: Venus 14.73″, 73.9% illuminated; Saturn 16.99″, its rings 39.59″; Jupiter 36.17″. Mars is not shown, its apparent diameter is 6.14″ and is 88.1% illuminated. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on May 18, 2022. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 19th. Notice that all the naked-eye planets except Mercury are in the morning sky now. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp program.
05/11/2022 – Ephemeris – Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, May 11th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 40 minutes, setting at 8:59, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:18. The Moon, 3 days past first quarter, will set at 4:45 tomorrow morning.
Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. The one bright planet in the evening sky, Mercury, is now too dim and close to the Sun to be seen, so the only planet action is in the morning sky where the other 4 naked-eye planets are. At 5:15 am tomorrow the planets will be spread out low from the east to southeast with brilliant Venus lowest and due east to Saturn almost exactly in the southeast. Venus may be missed at that time, but may be up sufficiently by 5:30. To the right of Venus is the quite bright Jupiter. Farther right will be the dimmest of the four, Mars. Farther to the right will be Saturn. All will be in A sloping to the upper right. They are still quite a sight to behold in the morning twilight.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Animated annotated Binocular Moon for this evening, May 11, 2022. Created using Virtual Moon Atlas, GIMP and LibreOffice.
Translations
Mare Crisium – Sea of Crises
Mare Fecunditatis – Sea of Fertility
Mare Frigoris – Sea of Cold
Mare Imbrium – Sea of Showers
Mare Nectaris – Sea of Nectar
Mare Nubium – Sea of Clouds
Mare Serenitatis – Sea of Serenity
Mare Tranquillitatis – Sea of Tranquility
Mare Vaporum – Sea of Vapors
Sinus Iridium – Bay of Rainbows
Sinus Medii – Bay of the Center
Note that Mare is pronounced Mar-é
The morning planet parade is widening as Venus is moving away from Jupiter, and Mars is approaching Jupiter. These are shown at 5:15 am, or about an hour before sunrise tomorrow morning, May 12, 2022. Created using Stellarium.
Views of Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification, tomorrow morning at 5:15 am, May 12, 2022. I do not show planets less than 10 seconds of arc in diameter. Apparent diameters: Venus 15.42″, 71.6% illuminated; Saturn 16.79″, its rings 39.12″; Jupiter 35.60″. Mars is not shown, its apparent diameter is 5.99″ and is 88.6% illuminated. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on May 11, 2022. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 12th. Notice that all the naked-eye planets except Mercury are in the morning sky now. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp program.
05/04/2022 – Ephemeris – Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, May 4th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 23 minutes, setting at 8:51, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:27. The Moon, halfway from new to first quarter, will set at 1:03 tomorrow morning.
Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. There is one bright planet in the evening sky. Mercury may be spotted around and after 10 this evening very low in the west-northwest and be visible for the next half hour or so before it sets at 10:40 pm. After that, the planet action shifts to the morning sky. The other 4 naked-eye planets are there. By 5:30 or 5:45 am, the planets will be spread out low from the east to southeast with brilliant Venus lowest in the east, higher and right is Jupiter. Dim Mars will be farther to the right and a bit above Jupiter, while brighter Saturn will be even farther right and above Mars. All four will have risen by 5 am, but it will take a very low eastern horizon to pick them all up at that time.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Mercury in evening twilight, with competition from bright winter stars and the Moon at 10 pm, or about an hour after sunset. It might take a pair of binoculars to pick Mercury out of twilight.
Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as it might appear in binoculars tonight, showing earth shine. May 4, 2022. Created using Stellarium.
The morning planet parade is widening as Venus is moving away from Jupiter, and Mars is approaching the giant planet. These are shown at 5:30 am, or about an hour before sunrise. Created using Stellarium.
Views of Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification, tomorrow morning at 5:30 am, May 5, 2022. I do not show planets less than 10 seconds of arc in diameter. Apparent diameters: Venus 16.33″, 68.7% illuminated; Saturn 16.60″, its rings 38.67″; Jupiter 35.09″. Mars is not shown, its apparent diameter is 5.84″ and is 89.1% illuminated. Mercury, in the evening, has an apparent diameter of 9.21″, and it’s 22.2% illuminated. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on May 4, 2022. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 5th. Notice that all the naked-eye planets except Mercury are in the morning sky now. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp program.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 