Home > Ephemeris Program, Naked-eye planets, Observing, Planets > Ephemeris: 01/12/2024 – Mercury is at greatest western elongation from the Sun today

Ephemeris: 01/12/2024 – Mercury is at greatest western elongation from the Sun today

January 12, 2024

This is Ephemeris for Friday, January 12th. Today the Sun will be up for 9 hours and 6 minutes, setting at 5:24, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:17. The Moon, 1 day past new, will set at 6:49 this evening.

The planet Mercury is reaching its greatest western elongation or separation west of the Sun today at a 23.5 degrees angle, which is pretty good actually, although the angle above the horizon where we see Mercury at this point in the year is not the best. However, Venus can be used to spot Mercury because Mercury will be to the lower left of Venus. Binoculars are always helpful in spotting Mercury for the first time. From now until about a week from now Mercury will not move very much in relationship to Venus, but it will be getting somewhat brighter as its phase goes from half illuminated to more gibbous towards full. Early in the spring it will be seen in the evening sky, at a little bit better angle above the horizon, although it will be it will not be as far away from the Sun. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT –5 hours). They may be different for your location.

Addendum

Venus, Mercury and Mars at 7:30 this morning
Here we have an image of Venus, Mercury and Mars at 7:30 this morning, the 12th of January 2024 with the atmosphere and the horizon and then showing Mercury’s orbit as seen without the ground or atmosphere getting in the way, showing the complete orbit of Mercury. Note that the Sun does not appear in the center of Mercury’s orbit when we can see the whole thing. Mercury’s orbit is quite elliptical. Mercury is quite far away from the Sun compared to the opposite end of the orbit. We are going to see Mercury at the opposite end of the orbit on March 24th when it is visible in the evening, at it’s greatest eastern elongation. It will appear much closer to the Sun then, at 18.7 degrees which is part of the problem we have in the Northern Hemisphere viewing Mercury compared to folks in the Southern Hemisphere.
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