Best Night for Viewing Mercury

Mercury is often one of the most difficult “naked eye” planets to spot because it is lost in the Sun’s bright glare much of the time. This tiny planet is observable only when it reaches its farthest separation from the Sun as seen from Earth—times referred to as its greatest elongation. When Mercury is at its greatest western elongation, it is visible before sunrise. Wake up early and take the opportunity to gaze through our telescope to discover this elusive little planet.