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.
* Although the maximum elongation is on Jul 21, Mercury will be very low on this day. Better days are Jul 1-15. Even though the planet will be slightly closer to the Sun, its geometry will put it a little bit higher in the sky after the Sun sets and the sky becomes dark enough for viewing. A very good view of the W horizon will be needed and you’ll need to time this just right.
* Jul 8: look for a lovely crescent Moon above Mercury (toggle the image above).
Mercury (July, 2024) 
