When to See Mercury With the Naked Eyes This July
With all the celestial events expected this summer, we can safely rebrand in the next few months “Big Planet Season”. All supermoons have come and gone this year, but the cosmic gifts dotting the calendar are a little more mysterious and astounding than the Moon: some of the largest and most distant planets in the solar system will become visible to the naked eye.
One planet that will feature outstanding properties in the early morning and night skies in July is Mercury. You will be able to track the smallest planet in our solar system for most of the month as it shifts to the right of the waning crescent and becomes visible for two days on the east-northeast horizon. Tracking the planet’s journey will be a fun exercise, but please don’t tell your friends that Mercury is retrograde because it isn’t!
How to see Mercury in July
The planet will become visible on July 1 in the early morning sky, one hour before sunrise, but only on July 4 will Mercury undergo its greatest elongation (or farthest from the Sun). This is an important event, in large part because Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, but its distance from the ball of gas does not actually affect its visibility to observers on Earth.
As NASA notes , the planet eventually drifts “nine degrees below the waning crescent moon” in the very early morning of July 7th. According to the space agency, it “will rise after the moon in the east-northeast at 4:27 am ET. just 12 minutes before the early morning twilight. ” The moon will then move so that Mercury appears “4 degrees to the right of the waning crescent, low on the horizon to the east-northeast” on July 8, reappearing at 4:27 am ET.
July 10 and 11 are the times when Mercury will be at its highest level above the east-northeast horizon, which may give astronomers a better chance to catch a glimpse of the Fast Planet. Catching Mercury at the optimal time is a matter of personal opinion; BBC Sky at Night Magazine claims that July 15th, just an hour before sunrise, might be the best bet. However, there is consensus on when the planet’s visibility will disappear, as it is expected to go below the horizon by July 18th.
How to identify Mercury
The planet should appear dim, although it can still be identified with the naked eye, although binoculars or a telescope are preferable for a more memorable look. As Space.com notes, “When you try to see the planet, there should be a clear and unobstructed horizon.” “Mercury usually looks like a bright ‘star’ with a yellowish or ocher hue.”
Track the Moon as an anchor and look up or to the right for the best chance of seeing the planet, depending on the day. And be sure to keep your early morning calendar open, as there are more stellar events on the (literal) horizon.