Mercury Rising: When to Catch a Glimpse of the Elusive Planet
October is the perfect time to catch glimpse of the planet closest to the sun.
— -- The elusive Mercury is making a showing in the early morning sky this month.
Sky gazers who wake up before sunrise will be able to catch a glimpse of Mercury. The planet nearest the sun will appear on the eastern horizon around 90 minutes before sunrise, according to EarthSky.org, and will be easiest to spot on Oct. 16 when it is at its greatest elongation from the sun.
Prime viewing will be in the Northern Hemisphere. Sky gazers should be able to catch the orange-hued planet on the horizon with their eyes or by using a pair of binoculars.
The trio of Jupiter, Mars and Venus can also currently be see lined up in the night sky in a diagonal line. The closest grouping of the three planets is set for Oct. 26, according to EarthSky, which reports the next rendezvous of the trio won't occur until January 2021. Get the binoculars ready for a close-up view of the three planets, which should all fit within the same field of view.