MERCURY
Presents himself as an object of interest for a few mornings before and after the 5th, the day on which he reaches his greatest western elongation, 17° 58′ from the sun; and as he rises nearly an hour and a half earlier than the latter body, may with a little care be clearly distinguished. His times of rising are as follows: On the 1st at 4:33; 16th, at 5:12; and 31st, at 6:22 a. m. His motion is direct and amounts to 43° 46′. As he moves away from the sun, after 6:00 a. m. on the 3d, his diameter diminishes from 7.4″ to 4.6″. On the 17th, at 7:58 p. m., he is 2° 1′ north of the moon.