Mercury fans be patient! The planet’s visibility is due to improve throughout March

Planet Mercury is hard to see at the start of March 2024, but its position in the night sky will improve as the month comes to a close.

By Pete Lawrence

Published: Tuesday, 05 March 2024 at 14:40 PM

Mercury is an evening planet, but having passed superior conjunction on 28 February, it’s pretty close to the Sun at the start of March 2024 and won’t be seen.

The good news is that the inclination of the ecliptic plane – the projection of Earth’s orbital plane in the sky – is steep against the western horizon at this time of year at sunset.

The Sun, Moon and main planets stay on or near the ecliptic, and the steep angle helps keep Mercury above the horizon at a better altitude than if the inclination were shallow.

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 In later March, Mercury is reasonably well placed above the western horizon after sunset. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Mercury in March 2024 key dates

On 7 March, Mercury shines at mag. –1.4 and sets 40 minutes after the Sun.

If you have a flat western horizon, you might be able to pick it up using binoculars, say 20 minutes after sunset, but it won’t be easy.

The bright evening twilight sky will do a very good job of hiding the planet!

On the evening of 8 March, Mercury sits half a degree from Neptune. Unfortunately, though, at mag. 7.9 you’re not going to see this dim planet. 

Photograph of a crescent Moon, Mercury and Venus in the evening twilight. Credit: Pete Lawrence
A waxing crescent Moon sits 7.5° east-northeast from mag. –1.2 Mercury on the evening of 11 March 2024. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Jump forward to 11 March, when mag. –1.2 Mercury sets an hour after sunset.

Wait for 30 minutes after the Sun has gone down and the planet should become visible.

A slender 2%-lit waxing crescent Moon sits 7.5° east-northeast of Mercury on this date, above and to the left of the planet as seen from the UK. 

By the middle of the month, Mercury sets an impressive 90 minutes after the Sun and, still shining brighter than mag. –1.0 on 14 March, should be relatively easy to see, given clear weather.

Its position improves through to 25 March when it sets two hours after the Sun.

By then its brightness will have decreased to around mag. +0.1, but it should still be fairly easy to see.

Mercury in March quick facts

Have you been out observing Mercury in March? Let us know how you got on by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com