WEBVTT

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Greetings, fellow star gazers -- I m Trace
and I m here to help you find the teeny

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planet of Mercury -- which is in its greatest
elongation right now!

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Head outside after sunset, and keep a sharp
eye out for a tiny speck of light about a

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fist-width above the horizon -- that s about
ten-degrees.

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That speck should follow the sun as it sets,
and then disappear beneath the horizon too.

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That speck is lil sun-soaked Mercury!

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Throughout the year, each planet hits Elongation
or their furthest distance from the sun as

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seen from Earth.

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Mercury finished its Great Western Elongation
in November 2020, crossed in front of the

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Sun, and will hit its Eastern Elongation on
January 24th!

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Then it ll swing behind the sun for its
next Western elongation on March 6.

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Because Mercury orbits closer to the sun than
us, it can be tough to spot -- zipping back

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and forth around our nearest star, but now
that you know where to look, you can say hello

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to my little friend, and keep lookin up!