Mercury always lies close to the sun. Consequently, it never appears far above either the morning or evening twilight. From March 17 through March 25, as it nears eastern (evening) elongation, the little and sometimes elusive planet shines brightly in the western twilight 40 minutes after sunset. In a clear sky, you should be able to spot it easily.
Mercury after sunset in March 2024
Where to look: Look west, in the sunset direction – shortly after sunset – for Mercury. The sun’s innermost planet will be at its best for the year for the Northern Hemisphere.
Greatest elongation: Mercury is farthest from the sun on our sky’s dome – at greatest elongation – at 23 UTC on March 24, 2024 (6 p.m. CDT). At that time, Mercury is 19 degrees from the sun in our sky.
Brightness: Mercury was bright when it emerged in the evening sky during the second week of March. At that time, it was shining at -1.3 magnitude. At greatest elongation, Mercury shines at magnitude -0.1. It’s brighter than most stars! In the evenings after greatest elongation, the innermost planet will rapidly fade as it sweeps up from behind Earth, in orbit around the sun, causing its illuminated side, or day side, to turn away from us. It’ll probably disappear in early April 2024 and will reach inferior conjunction – when it will pass between Earth and the sun – on April 11.
Through a telescope: Mercury will appear about 38% illuminated, at greatest elongation. It’ll measure 7.5 arcseconds across.
Constellation: Mercury will lie in front of the constellation Pisces the Fishes at this elongation. Doubtless, most of the stars in this constellation will be lost in the twilight.
Note: As the innermost planet, Mercury is tied to the sun in our sky. As a result, it never ventures very far above the horizon after sunset. So as soon as the sun disappears below your horizon, your clock starts ticking. Will you see the glowing point of light that is Mercury before it drops below the horizon, following the setting sun?
Chart for Southern Hemisphere
For precise sun and Mercury rising times at your location:
Old Farmer’s Almanac (U.S. and Canada)
timeanddate.com (worldwide)
Stellarium (online planetarium program)
Mercury events in 2024
Note: Times are in UTC
Jan 12, 2024: Greatest elongation (morning)
Feb 28, 2024: Superior conjunction (passes behind sun from Earth)
Mar 24, 2024: Greatest elongation (evening)
Apr 11, 2024: Inferior conjunction (races between Earth and sun)
May 9, 2024: Greatest elongation (morning)
Jun 14, 2024: Superior conjunction (passes behind sun from Earth)
Jul 22, 2024: Greatest elongation (evening)
Aug 19, 2024: Inferior conjunction (races between Earth and sun)
Sep 5, 2024: Greatest elongation (morning)
Sep 30, 2024: Superior conjunction (passes behind sun from Earth)
Nov 16, 2024: Greatest elongation (evening)
Dec 5, 2024: Inferior conjunction (races between Earth and sun)
Dec 25, 2024: Greatest elongation (morning)
Heliocentric view of Mercury March 2024
A comparison of elongations
The farthest from the sun that Mercury can ever appear on the sky’s dome is about 28 degrees. And the least distance is around 18 degrees.
Also, elongations are better or worse depending on the time of year they occur. So in 2024, the Southern Hemisphere will have the best evening elongation of Mercury in July 2024. And the Northern Hemisphere will have the best evening apparition in March.
In the autumn for either hemisphere, the ecliptic – or path of the sun, moon and planets – makes a narrow angle to the horizon in the evening. But it makes a steep slant, nearly perpendicular, in the morning. So, in autumn from either hemisphere, morning elongations of Mercury are best. That’s when Mercury appears higher above the horizon and farther from the glow of the sun. However, evening elongations in autumn are harder to see.
In the spring for either hemisphere, the situation reverses. The ecliptic and horizon meet at a sharper angle on spring evenings and a narrower angle on spring mornings. So, in springtime for either hemisphere, evening elongations of Mercury are best. Meanwhile, morning elongations in springtime are harder to see.
More Mercury evening elongation comparisons for 2024
Mercury photos from our community
Bottom line: Mercury is visible in the evening sky. Look in the west as the sky is darkening. The planet will reach its greatest elongation on March 24, 2024.
Submit your photos to EarthSky here.
Read about greatest elongations, superior and inferior conjunctions: Definitions for stargazers