The
King and the Messenger
The
Moon, Venus, and Mercury over the Plateau of Giza. Venus is the brightest
star-like object; Mercury is somewhat fainter, close to the head of the Great
Sphinx.
Photo
by Aymen Ibrahem, PSC, Senior Astronomy Specialist
In early July 2005, there was
a Mercury-Venus conjunction. The two planets came so close to the line of sight
that the angular (apparent) distance between them was less than 2 degrees.
On 8 July 2005, the waxing
crescent Moon approached the two planets, adding to the beauty of the celestial
spectacle. PSC astronomer, Aymen Ibrahem, photographed this Moon-Venus-Mercury
conjunction in Giza, with the mighty Pyramids of Egypt and the Great Sphinx as
foreground objects.
Since Mercury was the
messenger of gods in Greek mythology, and the Great Sphinx was Re-Horakhty,
ancient Egypt's "King of Gods", Mr. Ibrahem named this series of
pictures "The King and the Messenger".
Fig
(2)
Moon,
Venus and Mercury over Giza
Photo by Aymen
Ibrahem, PSC, Senior Astronomy Specialist
Some of Mr. Ibrahem's
pictures were published in European online publications, and another picture is
due for publication in a scientific journal. Mr. Ibrahem is credited with
obtaining the first photos of Mercury, the elusive planet, over the Pyramids.
The
Queen and the Messenger
Mercury and
Venus over Giza; there was fog across the western horizon.
Photo
by Aymen Ibrahem, PSC, Senior Astronomy Specialist
On 1 July 2005, Mr. Ibrahem
imaged the Mercury-Venus conjunction over Giza. The Moon was absent, and Mr.
Ibrahem named the pictures "The Queen and the Messenger", as Venus is
the brightest planet, and was the daughter of Zeus in Greek mythology.
Both Mercury and Venus are
closer to the Sun than the Earth, and so they are termed inferior planets. Both
planets transit the disc of the Sun on rare occasions, when they pass between
the Sun and the Earth. This phenomenon is known as planetary transits and is
closely similar to the eclipses of the Sun and the Moon.
In his research in historical
astronomy (archaeoastronomy), Aymen Ibrahem provided evidence that the ancient
Egyptian astronomers, who were knowledgeable and painstaking observers,
observed the transits of Venus and Mercury.
Further
reading
Planets
Over the Nile
http://www.bibalex.org/Eclipse2006/News_Details.aspx?id=53
Karnak Under Nighttime Sky
http://www.bibalex.org/Eclipse2006/News_Details.aspx?id=60
Aymen
Mohamed Ibrahem
PSC,
Senior Astronomy Specialist