Spark and Perl go looking

How it looks on Mercury

• 

  My left side is roasting and my right side has gone frosty.

• 

  There is no air here to carry the warmth around.
  Sunny side cooks, shady side freezes.

• 

  Shall I stand sideways?

• 

  You may stand however you like.
  You will be both — cooked on one side and frozen on the other.

• 

  And the holes?

• 

  Craters.
  Thousands.
  Nothing has ever come along to smooth them over.

• 

  Can we see Mercury from home?

• 

  Sometimes — low down, just after the Sun goes, for a week or two at a time.
  You need a view with nothing in the way.
  You can see it from anywhere in the world — but not every night. Sometimes it is hiding in the light of the Sun.
  Where to find Mercury, and when

• What the shading meansClose

  Where the Earth is clear, it climbs high in the sky. The darker it gets, the lower it stays. Where it is black, it never comes up. No shading at all: it does not matter where you live.

• 

  What do I need to see Mercury?

• 

  You can see it with just your eyes.
  Binoculars with 10× magnification show it, if you rest them on a fence or a wall.
  A 150 mm telescope is what shows it properly. This picture is about 200× — which is what that telescope gives on a good night.
  At that magnification it drifts out of view while you watch.

Space

Put the planets in size orderPut the planets in orderJump the solar systemCould you stand on a planet or moon?Eyes, binoculars, or telescope?Which one does not belong?

Read onGo and look