Back to Article List
The solar system’s smallest planet reaches its stationary point in Aquarius, visible briefly in the morning sky before sunrise.
Mercury glows softly just above the eastern horizon before sunrise this week. Credit: Stellarium
Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.
March 18: Asteroid Iris becomes a double star
Mercury is stationary at 4 P.M. EDT, standing still against the stars of Aquarius. The tiny planet is visible in the mornings now before sunrise, rising just under an hour before the Sun. It’s a bit of a challenging view, but you can try catching Mercury some 30 minutes before sunrise, when it stands nearly 4° high in the east.
You’ll need a clear horizon and possibly some optical aid. This morning, Mercury glows at magnitude 1.3. It has been brightening as it rises higher above the horizon following its conjunction with the Sun earlier this month. The planet will continue growing brighter by the day, and will reach magnitude 0.9 by the 22nd, when it will rise a full hour before the Sun. If you have difficulty viewing it this morning, try your luck in the coming days — just make sure to put away any optics well in advance of sunrise from your viewing location, which may differ from the time listed below.
Through your optics, you’ll see this morning that Mercury’s 10”-wide disk is a slim, 20-percent-lit crescent. That phase will continue to increase as the planet brightens in the coming days.
Sunrise: 7:05 A.M.
Sunset: 7:11 P.M.
Moonrise: 7:13 A.M.
Moonset: 8:16 P.M.
Moon Phase: Waxing crescent (2%)
*Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are given in local time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 10 P.M. local time from the same location.