Where is Mercury tonight?
Mercury can be seen without a telescope, but it is easy to miss. It stays close to the Sun in our sky, so a useful viewing window is usually brief: low toward the sunset side after sunset, or toward the sunrise side before dawn. It is not visible every evening.
Live sky
Calculating the sky for your local date and place…
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Local time in the selected city.
The current-night answer appears after the sky calculation loads.
When and where to see Mercury
Look low toward the west after sunset during an evening appearance, or low toward the east before sunrise during a morning one. Mercury is never an all-night target. The live panel calculates which appearance, direction and brief viewing window apply to your selected place and night.
How to recognize Mercury
Expect a small, steady point of light against the twilight sky, not a visible disc. It never stands high: it sits low over the horizon on the side where the Sun set or will rise. Close to the horizon, haze can dim it and moving air can make it shimmer, so match its direction and height to the map rather than relying on steadiness alone.
Mercury never strays more than about 28 degrees from the Sun, and an evening or morning appearance lasts only a few weeks. Venus, when it shares the same twilight sky, is far brighter.
Give yourself a clear horizon
A building or line of trees can hide the whole viewing window. Choose an unobstructed view in the direction the map gives. A fist at arm’s length spans roughly 10 degrees; a planet only a few degrees up sits much lower than one fist.
There is a trade-off at dusk: the sky gets darker while Mercury gets lower. At dawn, Mercury climbs as the sky brightens. A time that works at one latitude may be poor at another, so an observing date from a distant city is not enough.
Keep this a naked-eye search with the Sun below the horizon. Never look directly at the Sun or sweep near it with binoculars or a telescope.
Why might Mercury still be invisible?
It may be too close to the Sun in the sky, too low, or hidden by bright twilight, cloud or haze. Above Tonight calculates positions; it does not predict sky brightness, weather or obstructions. If this appearance is poor, try another date instead of assuming the map guarantees a sighting.
Questions people ask
At what time can we see Mercury?
Only in twilight, usually within an hour or two after sunset or before sunrise, and only during an evening or morning appearance. Mercury is never up at midnight. The sky map shows its height for the place and time you choose, so you can find the best minutes.
Where to look for Mercury in the sky?
Low on the horizon, toward where the Sun went down in the evening or will rise in the morning. In the evening that is roughly west, and in the morning roughly east. Use a clear horizon and the map’s direction and height to point yourself at it.
Are Mercury and Venus visible at night?
Both appear in the evening or morning sky, not at midnight, because they stay near the Sun. Venus is much brighter and can stay up for a few hours after sunset. Mercury is fainter and sets within an hour or two. Neither is visible every evening.
Is Mercury hard to see?
Yes, it is the hardest of the five bright planets to pick out. It is small, low and lost in twilight glow. A flat horizon, a clear sky and a check of its position on the map improve the odds, but they cannot promise a sighting.
Explore other planets
Visibility changes with date and place. Use the live sky above for current details.
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Venus
A brilliant pale point near the sunset or sunrise side of the sky.
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Mars
A reddish point whose brightness and viewing hours change through its orbit.
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Jupiter
A bright, steady point along the path the Sun and Moon follow.
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Saturn
A steady yellowish point; its rings need a telescope.