Mercury Observation Details
Mercury Daily Motion
Mercury will not be observable tonight. It will reach its transit at 28° by 09:41 and set at 14:21. Throughout the night, from 16:08 to 04:21, it will be below the horizon. Mercury will rise again after sunrise, at 05:04.Mercury will become visible in February, 8. After being too close to the Sun to observe, it will reappear in the night sky. Starting from February, 8, Mercury can be seen again, providing a good opportunity for observation.
Mercury Visibility Timetable on January 09
Mercury Rise and Set Timetable
| Time | Elevation | |
| Mercury transit | 09:41 | 28° |
| Mercury set | 14:21 | |
| Astrosession begin | 16:39 | -25° |
| Moon Rise, 63.3% illuminated | 21:13 | -75° |
| Astrosession end | 03:49 | -13° |
| Mercury rise | 05:04 | |
| Sunrise | 05:23 | 3° |
| Moon Set | 09:03 | 28° |
Track Mercury Position Throughout the Night
← Fri, 9 January 2026 →
| 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 Sagittarius, at right ascension 18h 47m 58s" and declination -24° 19' 52s, approximately 1.42 AU (212,428,976 km) from Earth. Although it is currently above the horizon at an altitude of 20 degrees, Mercury is not visible because it is daytime.Upcoming Events
| Time | Description | Constellation |
|---|---|---|
| Thu, 22 January 2026, 14:00 | Capricornus | |
| Fri, 20 February 2026 | Greatest Elongation of Mercury | Pisces |
| Wed, 25 February 2026 | Retrograde motion of Mercury begins | Pisces |
| Sun, 8 March 2026, 14:00 | Pisces | |
| Thu, 19 March 2026 | Retrograde motion of Mercury ends | Aquarius |
Current position of Mercury in Solar System
| Date | Fri, 9 January 2026 |
| Distance from Earth to Mercury | 1.4206 AU (212,518,735km) |
| Elongation | 8° |
| Angular diameter | 4.7" |
| Magnitude | -0.8 |
Finder Chart for Mercury
Double-click to unlock the map.
| Object name | Mercury |
| Field of view | |
| Limiting magnitude | |
| Mercury coordinates | 18.79954, -24.33133 |
| Center coordinates | 18.79954, -24.33133 |
Mercury Passage Through Night
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Current position of Mercury
| Time | 12:00 |
| Latitude | 37.3541 |
| Longitude | -121.955 |
| Mercury elevation | 20° |
| Mercury Azimuth | 147° |
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 | Fri, 9 January 2026 |
| Twighlight start | 16:35 |
| Twighlight end | 03:43 |
| Twighlight duration | 11h 8m |
| Rise | 05:00 |
| Set | 14:17 |
| Elevation at transit | 28° |
| Transit time | 09:38 |
| Equatorial coordinates | RA: 18h 48m 32s", Dec: -24° 19' 38s |
| Magnitude | -1 |
| Constellation | Sagittarius |
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 | 18.79954° |
| Declination | -24.33133° |
| Magnitude | -0.8 |
| Constellation | Sagittarius |
| Elevation | 20.2° |
| Azimuth | 146.5° |
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.