2025, January 7:  Mercury Departs Morning Sky

January 7, 2025:  Mercury is departing the morning sky after a pretty appearance near the star Antares.

Mercury and Venus before sunup, January 28, 2016.
Photo Caption – 2016, January 28: Venus and Mercury before sunrise in the eastern sky.

by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:18 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 4:37 p.m. CST.  Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.

Mercury Departs Morning Sky

Mercury Departs Morning Sky
Chart Caption – 2025, January 7: At 40 minutes before daybreak, Mercury appears low in the southeastern sky.

After a pretty appearance in the predawn sky, Mercury retreats into brighter morning twilight.  As the planet heads toward superior conjunction on February 9th, it brightens, although it is lower in the sky.  During the next several mornings, Mercury aficionados can track the planet with a binocular and then a telescope until sunlight overwhelms the view.

This morning is one of the final mornings to see it at 40 minutes before sunrise from a viewing spot with a clear horizon toward the southeast.  A hilltop or an elevated structure helps with the view across potential obstructions.  Looking across an open field or body of water offers similar favorable views.

Use a binocular to initially find Mercury 5° up in the southeast and nearly 20° to Antares’ lower left, Scorpius’ brightest star. The planet is visible without the optical assist as a bright star shining through morning twilight.

Antares Twinkles

Likely Antares is twinkling wildly during morning twilight.  Air currents disperses the starlight into its component colors that we see as the flickering light.

Goodbye, Mercury!

For this appearance we say, Goodbye, Mercury!

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