About the Speaker: 

Frank J. Melillo is a member and staff of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO) and he is a Mercury coordinator.  Frank has learned many ways of how to observe and image Mercury during daylight and other planets as well. 

About the talk: 

In broad daylight, there are other planets to look for instead of the sun and even the moon. The inner planets Mercury and Venus spend more of their time closer to the sun while the outer planets can be easily seen at midnight. But certain planets are needed to image in daylight for specific reasons instead of what they can be seen at night.    

Planetary imaging in broad daylight does sound unusual, but it has valid scientific and observational reasons behind it. Let’s unpack the scenario and understand why and when planetary imaging in daylight becomes not just possible, but sometimes necessary.