Explanation:
Last week
Mercury
wandered far to the west of the Sun.
As the solar system's
innermost planet
neared its greatest elongation
or greatest angle from the Sun (for this apparition about 27 degrees)
it was joined by an old crescent Moon.
The conjunction was an engaging
sight
for early morning risers
in the southern hemisphere.
There the pair rose together in predawn skies, climbing
high above the horizon along a steeply inclined
ecliptic plane.
This well composed sequence captures the rising Moon and Mercury
above the city lights of
Brisbane in Queensland, Australia.
A stack of digital images, it consists of an exposure made
every 3 minutes beginning at 4:15 am local time on
April 19.
Mercury's track is at the far right, separated from
the Moon's path by about 8 degrees.
