Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, going completely around the sun every 88 days. It is an elusive object and not often recognized by the casual observer.
Mercury never gets farther than 28 degrees from the sun, and its daily movement through the sky is the fastest of all the planets. Because it is so close to the sun, it takes a little effort to see Mercury. It is never far from the western horizon after sunset or far from the eastern horizon before sunrise.
Nevertheless, Mercury is a bright object easy to see if you have a clear horizon and know where to look. Now is a great time to see it.
On Thursday, April 14, at 7:15 p.m. Mercury will be due west and 13 degrees above the horizon. Fifteen degrees above Mercury is the Pleiades, or the Seven Sisters, which will become more visible as twilight darkens.
If you miss Mercury on Thursday night, look for it in the west after sunset the following few days. Mercury will be at its greatest eastern elongation (distance) of 19.9 degrees from the sun on Monday night.
While you are checking out Mercury every evening, be sure to follow the waxing (growing larger) moon. On Sunday evening, the 11-day-old moon will only be 2 degrees south of bright Jupiter.
The moon will be a good pointer for finding Jupiter.
