The planet Mercury stands 25° east of the Sun. View the solar system’s smallest planet, along with the crescent Moon, in the evening sky.
Although Mercury is only briefly visible in the evenings, try on Oct. 12, when it is near the delicate crescent Moon. Credit: Astronomy: Roen Kelly
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October 11: Mars meets the Beehive
Mercury reaches its greatest eastern elongation from the Sun at 6 A.M. EDT today, standing 25° from our star. The Moon then passes 2° south of Mercury at 4 P.M. EDT. Both are now in Libra.
By evening, our satellite sits to the lower left of bright Mercury, and both are visible for a short time in the west after sunset. Mercury shines at magnitude 0.0 and should pop out quickly in the twilight — which is fortunate, as it’s just 4.5° high 20 minutes after sunset. Look for it some 3.5° to the upper right (north) of the delicate waxing crescent Moon, now some 6% lit. You might have good luck spotting the planet in binoculars or a finder scope before you can see it with your eyes — just make sure not to pull out any optical aid until at least several minutes after the Sun has disappeared below the horizon.
Through a telescope, Mercury spans 7” and appears 60% lit. The planet sets shortly after 7 P.M. local daylight time.
Sunrise: 7:08 A.M.
Sunset: 6:25 P.M.
Moonrise: 9:20 A.M.
Moonset: 7:08 P.M.
Moon Phase: Waxing crescent (6%)
*Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are given in local time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 10 P.M. local time from the same location.
Alison Klesman is senior editor of Astronomy magazine. She holds a Ph.D. in astronomy and has studied a variety of topics, from minor planets to supermassive black holes.