The 1200-odd that remained, are tough for only six inches of aperture. Yet some people enjoy landing giant fish with light tackle. Ask them why I do what I do. With an hour to true sunset, the Sun slides behind the high ridge to the west. Promptly, several of us find Venus, first in binoculars, then with the naked eye.
Mercury remains elusive.
Perhaps it is too close to the Sun, or has already set. The Sun does not make us see more, it makes us see less. Mars, too, soon becomes visible. Today is the Fourth of July, and Mars Pathfinder has landed. To our feigned dismay, we cannot see it, nor even the great dust storm which may have threatened its operation.