File photo used for representation only
Doha: Qatari Calendar House announced that the smallest planet of the solar system, Mercury, will reach the closest point in its orbit around the sun (perihelion) during the early morning hours of next Thursday, April 14, 2022, at 1:48 am Doha local time.
Astronomy Expert at the Qatari Calendar House Dr. Bashir Marzouq said that the residents of Qatar can observe the planet Mercury on the evening of next Thursday, on the western horizon of the sky of Qatar using astronomical devices, after sunset at 5:56 pm Doha local time till 6:52 pm, in areas away from light and environmental pollutants.
Astronomical studies indicate that the significant change in the distance between the location of Mercury and the sun when Mercury reaches the apogee and perihelion points, makes the surface of Mercury gain double the amount of solar energy when it is located at the closest point to the sun (perihelion) compared to the amount of solar energy that Mercury gains when it falls at the farthest point from the sun (aphelion point).
Dr. Marzouq pointed out that Mercury reaches the closest point in its orbit around the sun once every 88 days (which is the period during which Mercury completes a full round around the sun), as it reached the closest point on Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022, while it will reach it again Monday, July 11, 2022.
It is known that Mercury is one of the rocky planets in the solar system, in addition to being the closest planet to the sun, with an average distance of 58 million km from it. There are no natural satellites orbiting Mercury, and it does not have an atmosphere that protects it from solar storms and eruptions like the planet Earth.
