Images of Mercury by Eric Harris
Mercury is a difficult planet to image and study. Even with the resolution of the best telescopes available, we weren't able to map the planet's surface completely until the MESSENGER probe did it in 2013. With the best apparitions of the planet happening around the same time every year, some parts of the surface are easier to image than others. When imaging Mercury, my hope is to get the best resolution possible to pick out some of these hard-to-see features!
27 February 2022
Mercury is near aphelion in this view. The Caloris Basin is visible as a slight bright patch at the northern end of the terminator.
10" Meade LX90 on an EQ6-R Pro, ASI462MC, 2x Barlow (Acting at 3x), IR-Pass 685nm Filter, ZWO ADC
7 November 2020
The first time I have taken my 10" SCT to the planet. I think I've captured surface details for the first time! In this view the planet is just a few days past perihelion.
10" Meade LX90 SCT, ASI462MC, 2x Barlow (Acting at 3x), IR-Pass 850nm Filter, ZWO ADC
17 September 2017
Image was taken after sunrise. Without extra processing, an edge rind artifact is evident.
Vintage Celestron 5 SCT, Neximage 5 Camera, IR-Pass 685nm Filter
12 April 2016
Included both color and monochrome versions of the same data.
Vintage Celestron 5 SCT, Neximage 5 Camera
Mercury in May 2015
Image on the left is from 2 May. Unfortunately I don't have the exact date and time for the image on the right.
Vintage Celestron 5 SCT, Neximage 5 Camera
25 July 2014
Vintage Celestron 5 SCT, Neximage 5 Camera
Animation of the Phases of Mercury: 5 May - 27 May 2014
During this time the planet was well placed in the evening sky. I decided to compile my observations of the planet that month into an animation! Watch as the planet gets closer to Earth while its phase decraeases from a gibbous to a crescent.
8" Orion Skyquest XT8 Dobsonian, Neximage 5 Camera
29 January 2014
My very first image of Mercury.
8" Orion Skyquest XT8 Dobsonian, Kodak Point-and-Shoot Camera
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Please do not publish my images online or in print without asking me first. Thank you.