{"id":55399,"date":"2024-03-05T14:40:54","date_gmt":"2024-03-05T14:40:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/16b3aeb5-b78b-4cf0-b44f-a48187edc7d2"},"modified":"2024-03-05T16:33:52","modified_gmt":"2024-03-05T16:33:52","slug":"mercury-fans-be-patient-the-planets-visibility-is-due-to-improve-throughout-march","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/mercury-fans-be-patient-the-planets-visibility-is-due-to-improve-throughout-march\/","title":{"rendered":"Mercury fans be patient! The planet’s visibility is due to improve throughout March"},"content":{"rendered":"

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. <\/p>

By Pete Lawrence\n <\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 05 March 2024 at 14:40 PM<\/p>

\n\n

Mercury is an evening planet, but having passed superior conjunction on 28 February, it\u2019s pretty close to the Sun at the start of March 2024 and won\u2019t be seen.<\/p>

The good news is that the inclination of the ecliptic<\/a> plane \u2013 the projection of Earth\u2019s orbital plane in the sky \u2013 is steep against the western horizon at this time of year at sunset.<\/p>

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.<\/p>

Keep up to date with what’s in the night sky by signing up to receive the BBC Sky at Night Magazine e-newsletter<\/a> and listen to our weekly Star Diary podcast<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>

\uf070 In later March, Mercury is reasonably well placed above the western horizon after sunset. Credit: Pete Lawrence<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Mercury in March 2024 key dates<\/strong><\/h2>

On 7 March<\/strong>, Mercury shines at mag. \u20131.4 and sets 40 minutes after the Sun.<\/p>

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\u2019t be easy.<\/p>

The bright evening twilight sky will do a very good job of hiding the planet!<\/p>

On the evening of 8 March<\/strong>, Mercury sits half a degree from Neptune. Unfortunately, though, at mag. 7.9 you\u2019re not going to see this dim planet.\u00a0<\/p>

\"Photograph
A waxing crescent Moon sits 7.5\u00b0 east-northeast from mag. \u20131.2 Mercury on the evening of 11 March 2024. Credit: Pete Lawrence<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Jump forward to 11 March<\/strong>, when mag. \u20131.2 Mercury sets an hour after sunset. <\/p>

Wait for 30 minutes after the Sun has gone down and the planet should become visible.<\/p>

A slender 2%-lit waxing crescent Moon sits 7.5\u00b0 east-northeast of Mercury on this date, above and to the left of the planet as seen from the UK.\u00a0<\/p>

By the middle of the month<\/strong>, Mercury sets an impressive 90 minutes after the Sun and, still shining brighter than mag. \u20131.0 on 14 March<\/strong>, should be relatively easy to see, given clear weather.<\/p>

Its position improves through to 25 March<\/strong> when it sets two hours after the Sun.<\/p>

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

Mercury in March quick facts<\/strong><\/h2>