The three inner rocky or terrestrial planets together in the dawn sky on the morning of September 18, 2017, shot from home. Venus is brightest at top, above the star Regulus in Leo. The waning crescent Moon with Earthshine on it is at centre, and below it are faint Mars and brighter Mercury, on either side of some dark cloud. Mercury was a week past its date of greatest western elongation. The fourth rocky planet is in the photo as well - Earth! This is a single 2-second shot with the Rokinon 85mm lens at f/2.8 and Canon 6D MkII at ISO 400.
A gathering of the three inner rocky planets (plus Earth is there, too!) in the dawn sky on September 12, 2017, with: • Venus bright at top in the high cirrus • Mars lowest of the trio below Mercury and … • Mercury below Regulus, low, but at its greatest western elongation this morning, at the best dawn apparition of the year for northern latitudes. So this is about as high as Mercury gets. Mercury was very obvious naked eye without any searching required. Mars needed binoculars to readily pick out. This is a single exposure with the Rokinon 85mm lens and Canon 6D MkII.
