Mercury reaches its point of greatest eastern elongation on Friday (July 4), presenting an excellent opportunity to spot the rocky planet during its evening apparition in the post-sunset sky.
Astronomers describe Mercury as an “inferior planet”, because its orbital path around the sun is much closer than that of Earth. As a result, Mercury never strays far from the sun in our sky and always appears low on the horizon compared to planets like Jupiter and Mars, whose distant orbits allow them to ride high on the line of the ecliptic (the plane of the major planets’ path around the sun).
The point at which Mercury appears most distant from the sun in Earth’s sky, known as its point of greatest elongation, will occur at 00:37 a.m. EDT (0437 GMT) on July 4, according to stargazing website in-the-sky.org. Viewers in the U.S. will have a golden opportunity to spot Mercury shining low above the western horizon immediately after sunset over the coming days.
The rocky world will appear as a bright “evening star” approximately 15 degrees above the western horizon in the constellation Cancer at sunset for viewers in New York on July 4. For context, 10 degrees is roughly the same as the span of your clenched fist when held at arms length against the night sky.
Mercury’s low altitude could make it a challenging target for those in built-up areas, so we would advise scoping out a spot with a clear horizon ahead of time if you want to catch a glimpse of the fleet-footed planet before it sets less than an hour and a half after sundown.
The “Great Bear” of the constellation Ursa Major will become visible around the time Mercury slips out of view, with the stars of Leo and the red light of Mars beating a path toward the western horizon as the night wears on.
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Stargazers hoping to explore the wonders of the cosmos for themselves should check out our roundup of the best telescopes and binoculars available in 2025. If you’re new to the hobby you should also check out our roundup of the top paid and free smartphone astronomy apps, many of which use augmented reality tech to help you find your way around the night sky.
Editor’s Note: If you snap a picture of Mercury and want to share it with Space.com’s readers, then please send it alongside your comments, name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
