It is said that Copernicus, the father of astronomy, never saw it. Mercury is indeed an illusive planet orbiting so close to the sun it is caught in its radiance. And then it follows it below the horizon before we can catch a glimpse. But yesterday evening it was there, floating above the panorama of the London skyline to the side of the brilliance of Venus; there, for just a few fleeting minutes in the dusk before clouds blew in from the west and closed the veil. For that brief instant you could almost sense our Earth’s place amongst the inner worlds of the solar system. A privileged moment.
Wednesday 7 April 2010
Mercury
It is said that Copernicus, the father of astronomy, never saw it. Mercury is indeed an illusive planet orbiting so close to the sun it is caught in its radiance. And then it follows it below the horizon before we can catch a glimpse. But yesterday evening it was there, floating above the panorama of the London skyline to the side of the brilliance of Venus; there, for just a few fleeting minutes in the dusk before clouds blew in from the west and closed the veil. For that brief instant you could almost sense our Earth’s place amongst the inner worlds of the solar system. A privileged moment.
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