Mercury Tonight: Visibility, Position and Best Viewing Time
Is Mercury Visible Tonight?
From your location, Mercury is visible from sunset until evening. The current position, altitude, direction, and tonight’s rise and set times are shown below.
When Is the Best Time to See Mercury Tonight?
The best available time to observe Mercury tonight is around 17:36, when it reaches about 2° above the horizon. It remains low, so a clear, unobstructed horizon is important.
When Is Mercury’s Next Greatest Elongation?
The next greatest elongation of Mercury is on October 12. Around greatest elongation, the planet appears farthest from the Sun in the sky and is generally easier to observe.
Where is Mercury right now?
Mercury is located in the constellation Virgo, approximately 1.31 AU (195,419,698 km) from Earth. Although Mercury is currently 20° above the horizon, it is not visible because it is daytime.
Mercury visibility on 2026-09-19
Mercury Visible from sunset until evening
Mercury rise and set timetable
| Time | Elevation | |
| Mercury transit | 12:05 | 47° |
Moonrise, 42% illuminated  | 12:36 | 47° |
| Sunset | 17:09 | 8° |
| Civil sunset | 17:36 | 2° |
| Mercury set | 17:48 | |
| Astronomical observing session begins | 18:38 | -10° |
| Moonset | 21:43 | -45° |
| Astronomical observing session ends | 03:25 | -34° |
| Mercury rise | 06:24 |
Track Mercury position throughout the night
← 19 September 2026 →
| Time | |
| Altitude | |
| Azimuth |
Shift the map to change the time and observe Mercury changing position in the night sky.
Upcoming Events
| Time | Description | Constellation |
|---|---|---|
| 12 October 2026 | Greatest elongation of Mercury | Libra |
| 24 October 2026 | Retrograde motion of Mercury begins | Libra |
| 5 November 2026 at 15:00 | Libra | |
| 13 November 2026 | Retrograde motion of Mercury ends | Virgo |
| 21 November 2026 | Greatest elongation of Mercury | Libra |
Current position in the Solar System: Mercury
| Date | Sat, 19 September 2026 |
| Distance from Earth | 1.3039 AU (195,060,664km) |
| Elongation | 17° |
| Angular diameter | 5.2" |
| Magnitude | -0.4 |
Finder Chart for Mercury
Double-click to unlock the map.
| Object name | Mercury |
| Field of view | |
| Limiting magnitude | |
| Mercury coordinates | 12.79153, -5.32767 |
| Center coordinates | 12.79153, -5.32767 |
Mercury Passage Through Night
Double-click to unlock the map.
Current position of Mercury
| Time | 08:06 |
| Latitude | 37.3541 |
| Longitude | -121.955 |
| Elevation | 20° |
| Azimuth | 114° |
Here you can see the current position of Mercury on the map, as well as its positions for rise and set. This tool lets you track its movement throughout the night with accurate, up-to-date information.
When Is Mercury Visible Throughout the Year?
Mercury will become visible again around November 10 after moving far enough from the Sun.
| Date | Sat, 19 September 2026 |
| Astronomical observing session begins | 18:33 |
| Astronomical observing session ends | 03:19 |
| Astronomical observing duration | 9h 45m |
| Rise | 06:19 |
| Set | 17:43 |
| Elevation at transit | 47° |
| Transit time | 12:01 |
| Equatorial coordinates | RA: 12h 49m 04s", Dec: -5° 32' 00s |
| Magnitude | -0 |
| Constellation | Virgo |
The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of Mercury, including its daily appearances and transit times. The vertical axis shows the hours of the day and the horizontal axis spans the year. The reddish area marks when the object is above the horizon, while the white line marks its daily transit.
You can also see when Mercury is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.
You can also see when Mercury is visible throughout the year in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.
Astrometric and Physical Parameters of Mercury
Coordinates and Visibility
| Right Ascension | 12h 47m 30s |
| Declination | -5° 19′ 40″ |
| Magnitude | -0.4 |
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Elevation | 20.2° |
| Azimuth | 113.9° |
| Distance to Earth | 1.3063 AU |
| Angular diameter | 5.2″ |
| Elongation from Sun | 17.2° |
| Illuminated fraction | 88% |
Basic Properties
| Mass, kg | 3.302E+23 |
| Mean density, g/cm³ | 5.427 |
Rotation
| Sidereal rotation period, days | 58.6463 |
| Mean solar day, days | 175.9421 |
Surface and 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
Solar-system physical and orbital parameters are provided by the Solar System OpenData API maintained by Le Système Solaire. We thank its contributors for making these open data available.