Mercury is the easiest planet to find but the hardest to see. As the first planet, it's always close to the Sun in our sky. So to find Mercury, just find the Sun. But, of course, the brilliance of the Sun makes seeing Mercury nearly impossible. Mercury is never out at night.
So when can Mercury be viewed? In twilight, but only at special times of the year. As Mercury orbits the Sun, it moves in our sky from one side of the Sun to the other. When it's at its greatest angular distance from the Sun, or maximum elongation, it may be possible to view Mercury right before sunrise or right after sunset.
The good news is that, because Mercury orbits the sun so quickly, there are usually six elongations in a year alternating between dawn and dusk viewings. The bad news is that, because its orbit is so tilted, Mercury's altitude above the horizon is only high enough for good viewing during half of these.
Any attempt to view Mercury has to be timed just right and a good view of the horizon where the sun rises or sets is needed. Like our Moon, Mercury goes through phases and it will be in quarter or crescent phase during elongations.
2024 Best Maximum Elongations
* Jan 12: 7° above the horizon at dawn, best viewing Jan 3-10
* Mar 24: 12° above the horizon at dusk, best viewing Mar 13-Apr 1
* Sep 4: 9° above the horizon at dawn, best viewing Aug 30-Sep 11
* Dec 24: 9° above the horizon at dawn, best viewing Dec 15-28
Look for a small, whitish orb. It may be slightly red due to twilight. Since Mercury may not be much brighter than twilight, binoculars can help find and confirm its presence.
WARNING: be very careful using optical aid to view Mercury in dawn twilight since the sun might rise unexpectedly into the field of view and instantly damage eyes.
* Mercury reaches maximum elongation on Mar 24. Best viewing will be at dusk Mar 13 - Apr 1. Look for Mercury just above the horizon where the Sun sets. It will become more visible as the sky darkens but will set soon after so you’ll have to time this just right. A very good view of the W horizon will be needed.
* Special: look for bright Jupiter nearby throughout this time while a comet may also be nearby but will likely require optical aid (toggle the image above).
Mercury (March, 2024) 
