Mercury is right next to the Moon tonight: how can you see it?
It’s been an exciting year for night sky-watchers, and we still have a few months to go until the end of 2024. To close out August, we’re having a six-planet parade and a meteor shower. This week, the moon saw not one, but three different planets on three different days.
The three planets — Jupiter, Mars, and Mercury — were in conjunction with the Moon during the last week of August. A conjunction is a astronomy term which describes when two planets or celestial bodies appear close together in the night sky. Jupiter went first, followed by Mars and now Mercury. It will be the second time this month that stargazers will be able to see Jupiter, Mars and the moon together in the night sky.
When can I see Mercury next to the Moon?
If you missed Jupiter and Mars’s encounter with the moon this week, you can still check the sky early in the night on Sunday, September 1. Mercury and the moon will be together in the sky for a few hours before sunrise.
Mercury should rise around 6 a.m. local time and be right next to the moon. The moon will be nearly new, so only a sliver will be visible — that’s good news, because Mercury will be the hardest of the three planets to see with the naked eye, and a fainter moon helps.
The two won’t be as close together as Saturn and the moon were earlier this month, but they’ll still be quite close. It also follows the moon being close to Jupiter on Tuesday and Mars on Wednesday.
Do I need a telescope to see the planets close to the moon?
Technically, it is bright enough to see Mercury with the naked eye. We think binoculars or a telescope might help. Mercury is not the brightest planet in the night sky, especially right before sunrise, so we have seen conflicting reports about whether it will be visible. We recommend having something on hand to help you out, just in case.
If you need help locating all the planets, Time and date has a simple night sky tool that can help, and apps like Sky Tonight on Android And iOS may also help.
