a fun consequence of the phases thing is the closer the inner planets are to earth, the less of them is visible. while venus, the closer of the two, is at its brightest during its crescent phase when it’s near earth, mercury is actually at its brightest during its full phase, when its furthest from earth. this makes mercury the only planet in the solar system to technically get brighter the further away from us it is, which is pretty weird.
Transcripts
sedna: the outer planets always appear 100% illuminated from earth, because we’re closer to the sun.
sedna: the inner planets mercury and venus are the opposite. we see them in phases like the moon. but when they’re fully illuminated they are behind the sun and can’t be seen.
sedna: in all of human history, no one has every seen a full mercury or fully venus with their own eyes.
sedna: …until we go there and become the first of course!
dini: n-no thanks. i’m alergic to spacesuit-melting heat.