Well, the long dark nights of winter are here once again, giving us plenty of time for stargazing (weather permitting, of course). For me, winter stargazing conjures pleasant thoughts of Centaurus, Carina, the Cross, Sagittarius, Scorpius and more. It's definitely worth rugging up and spending time outside to reacquaint oneself with the mid-year sky.
And we'll have some good planetary action this winter, too, beginning with Mercury (mag. -0.4, dia. 5.7”, Jul. 20), which will be at its best from mid-July through to almost the end of August. The innermost planet will begin July at superior conjunction (i.e. on the other side of the Sun) but will soon make its presence known in the evening sky after sunset. The period from July 19 to 21 will be particularly notable, with…
