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Sky-Tonight.com / Solar System / Planets / Mercury
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Observation Settings

Or select it on the map:
This Earth map lets you select the observer’s location used to calculate the bearing and elevation of celestial objects. The selected point determines how the sky, rise and set times, and object positions are shown.
Your location: Santa Clara, United States
Timezone:
Latitude:
37.3541
Longitude:
-121.955

Mercury Position and Visibility Tonight

Mercury

Where is Mercury right now?

Mercury is located in the constellation Leo, approximately 1.28 AU (191,485,274 km) from Earth. It is currently below the horizon and is not visible from your location.

Mercury visibility on 2026-08-20

Mercury Rises at sunrise

Mercury rise and set timetable

TimeElevation
Mercury transit10:4169°
Moonrise, 39.4% illuminated 11:5563°
Mercury set17:35
Astronomical observing session begins19:29-20°
Moonset21:31-34°
Astronomical observing session ends02:53-10°
Mercury rise03:52
Civil sunrise04:013°
Sunrise04:298°

Track Mercury Position Throughout the Night

← 20 August 2026 →

Elevation (degrees)
Time
Altitude
Azimuth
Shift the map to change the time and observe Mercury changing position in the night sky.

Upcoming Events

TimeDescriptionConstellation
28 August 2026 at 15:00Leo
12 October 2026Greatest elongation of MercuryLibra
24 October 2026Retrograde motion of Mercury beginsLibra
5 November 2026 at 15:00Libra
13 November 2026Retrograde motion of Mercury endsVirgo

Current position in the Solar System: Mercury

Earth Mercury
DateThu, 20 August 2026
Distance from Earth1.2848 AU (192,203,344km)
Elongation8°
Angular diameter5.2"
Magnitude-1.5
This interactive projection shows the object, Earth and the Sun in the Solar System. Slide it left or right to change the date and follow their orbital motion.

Finder Chart for Mercury

Double-click to unlock the map.
Object nameMercury
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
Mercury coordinates9.4004, 16.85028
Center coordinates9.4004, 16.85028

Mercury Passage Through Night

Double-click to unlock the map.

Current position of Mercury

Time03:36
Latitude37.3541
Longitude-121.955
Elevation-2°
Azimuth67°
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.

Annual motion of Mercury


Mercury will become visible again around November 10 after moving far enough from the Sun.
Time
DateThu, 20 August 2026
Twilight start19:24
Twilight end02:47
Twilight duration7h 22m
Rise03:47
Set17:30
Elevation at transit69°
Transit time10:39
Equatorial coordinatesRA: 09h 27m 50s", Dec: 16° 35' 25s
Magnitude-2
ConstellationLeo
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 view detailed visibility information in a table with exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.

Astrometric and Physical Parameters of Mercury

Coordinates and Visibility

Right Ascension9.4004°
Declination16.85028°
Magnitude-1.5
ConstellationLeo
Elevation-1.8°
Azimuth67.1°

Basic Properties

Mass, kg3.302E+23
Mean density, g/cm³5.427

Rotation

Sidereal rotation period, days58.6463 d
Mean solar day, hours175.9421 d

Surface and Atmosphere

Surface gravity, m/s²3.701
Escape velocity, km/s4.435
Mean temperature, K440

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.