Earthbound observers get superb views of Mercury in mid-April, though the detail will pale in comparison to what the MESSENGER spacecraft captured up close.
NASA/JHUAPL/CIW
Mercury reaches greatest eastern elongation today – the point where it’s farthest from Sun in Earth’s sky – and climbs highest in the southwestern sky after sunset.
Although the innermost planet stands 23° east of the Sun, it barely scrapes the southwestern horizon for observers at mid-northern latitudes. Use binoculars to hunt for the magnitude –0.3 object some 4° high a half-hour after sunset.
Mercury appears much more conspicuous from the Southern Hemisphere, where it stands 16° high 30 minutes after sundown and doesn’t set until 90 minutes later.
To see observing targets for every night, read The Sky This Week.
