Mercury Observation Details
Mercury Daily Motion
Mercury will not be observable tonight. It will reach its transit at 56° by 11:12 and set at 17:22. Throughout the night, from 18:11 to 03:54, it will be below the horizon. Mercury will rise again after sunrise, at 05:06.Mercury will become visible in November, 26. After being too close to the Sun to observe, it will reappear in the night sky. Starting from November, 26, Mercury can be seen again, providing a good opportunity for observation.
Mercury Visibility Timetable on September 16
Mercury Rise and Set Timetable
| Time | Elevation | |
| Moon Rise, 40% illuminated | 23:17 | -49° |
| Mercury transit | 11:12 | 56° |
| Moon Set | 14:47 | 30° |
| Sunset | 17:13 | 2° |
| Mercury set | 17:22 | |
| Astrosession begin | 18:42 | -16° |
| Astrosession end | 03:22 | -20° |
| Mercury rise | 05:06 |
Track Mercury Position Throughout the Night
← Tue, 16 September 2025 →
| Time | |
| Altitude | |
| Azimuth |
Shift the map to change the time and observe Mercury changing position in the night sky.
Where is Mercury right now?
Mercury is located in the constellation Virgo, at right ascension 11h 47m 04s" and declination 02° 57' 29s, approximately 1.39 AU (207,941,040 km) from Earth. At the current time, it is below the horizon and not visible from your location.Upcoming Events
| Time | Description | Constellation |
|---|---|---|
| Thu, 30 October 2025 | Greatest Elongation of Mercury | Scorpius |
| Sun, 9 November 2025 | Retrograde motion of Mercury begins | Scorpius |
| Sat, 29 November 2025 | Retrograde motion of Mercury ends | Libra |
| Mon, 8 December 2025 | Greatest Elongation of Mercury | Libra |
Current position of Mercury in Solar System
| Date | Tue, 16 September 2025 |
| Distance from Earth to Mercury | 1.3908 AU (208,060,719km) |
| Elongation | 3° |
| Angular diameter | 4.8" |
| Magnitude | -1.6 |
Finder Chart for Mercury
Double-click to unlock the map.
| Object name | Mercury |
| Field of view | |
| Limiting magnitude | |
| Mercury coordinates | 11.78469, 2.95811 |
| Center coordinates | 11.78469, 2.95811 |
Mercury Passage Through Night
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Current position of Mercury
| Time | 18:08 |
| Latitude | 37.3541 |
| Longitude | -121.955 |
| Mercury elevation | -9° |
| Mercury Azimuth | 79° |
Here you can see the current position of the Mercury on the map, as well as its positions for rise and set. This tool allows you to track the Mercury's movement throughout the night, providing you with accurate and up-to-date information.
Annual motion of Mercury
| Date | Wed, 17 September 2025 |
| Twighlight start | 18:40 |
| Twighlight end | 03:21 |
| Twighlight duration | 9h 40m |
| Rise | 05:10 |
| Set | 17:22 |
| Elevation at transit | 55° |
| Transit time | 11:16 |
| Equatorial coordinates | RA: 11h 52m 47s", Dec: 02° 16' 04s |
| Magnitude | -2 |
| Constellation | Virgo |
The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of a Mercury, providing a comprehensive overview of its daily appearances and transit times throughout the year.
The graph is structured with the vertical axis showing the hours of the day, ranging from 12 AM to 12 AM the next day, while the horizontal axis spans each day of the year.
The reddish shaded area indicates the periods when the Mercury is above the horizon, visible to observers. The white line marks the times when the celestial object reaches its highest point in the sky each day, known as the transit.
The graph is structured with the vertical axis showing the hours of the day, ranging from 12 AM to 12 AM the next day, while the horizontal axis spans each day of the year.
The reddish shaded area indicates the periods when the Mercury is above the horizon, visible to observers. The white line marks the times when the celestial object reaches its highest point in the sky each day, known as the transit.
Astrometric & Physical Parameters of Mercury
Coordinates & Visibility
| Right Ascension | 11.78469° |
| Declination | 2.95811° |
| Magnitude | -1.6 |
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Elevation | -9.1° |
| Azimuth | 79.2° |
Basic Properties
| Mass, kg | 3.302E+23 |
| Mean density, g/cm³ | 5.427 |
Rotation
| Sidereal rotation period, days | 58.6463 d |
| Mean solar day, hours | 175.9421 d |
Surface & Atmosphere
| Surface gravity, m/s² | 3.701 |
| Escape velocity, km/s | 4.435 |
| Mean temperature, K | 440 |
Brightness
| Visual magnitude V(1,0) | -0.42 |
Data Acknowledgment
Our solar system data—including planetary physical and orbital parameters—comes from the Solar System OpenData API , maintained by Le Système Solaire. We thank Christophe and the contributors for making this open data available.