March 8, 2025: Mercury is at greatest elongation. Mars and the moon pair up after sundown, a Mars-Moon conjunction.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:14 a.m. CST; Sunset, 5:50 p.m. CST. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.
Mercury at Greatest Elongation
Mercury is at greatest elongation, the farthest we see it from the sun. The elongation is the angle between the sun and the planet, with Earth at the vertex. For this appearance the elongation is 18.2°.
After sundown the planet stands low in the western sky. This is the best view we get of Mercury because it is close to the sun. Unlike the outer planets, Mercury and Venus never appear opposite the sun. They do not stray far from the central star as they seem to shuttle from the western evening sky to the eastern predawn sky and back again.
This year Mercury has three morning elongations and three evening appearances. This evening show is the best of the year. The best morning display occurs during December for northern hemisphere sky watchers.
Venus, Mercury after Sunset
At 45 minutes after nightfall, Mercury and brilliant Venus are in the western sky. The Evening Star is nearly 15° above the horizon. It is quickly overtaking our planet and appearing lower in the sky each night. It is 6.6° to Mercury’s upper right. Their separation closes for four more nights, when Mercury passes Venus in a wide conjunction.
Mercury and Venus fit snugly in the same binocular field. The Evening Star is to the upper right in the field and Mercury to the lower left. As Mercury retreats back into bright sunlight, it dims noticeably. Tonight, it is brighter than Mars, but its visual intensity is muted by evening twilight and thicker air near the horizon that dims and blurs celestial bodies.
Mars-Moon Conjunction
The waxing gibbous moon, 75% illuminated, is high in the southeast. It is 1.4° to Mars’ upper left, a pretty Mars-Moon conjunction. Look carefully for the Red Planet near the bright moon. A binocular is helpful. Find Pollux, 5.7° to the moon’s lower left, and Castor, 5.9° to the moon’s left. The stars are the Gemini Twins.
Jupiter above Aldebaran
At this hour, bright Jupiter is high in the southwest, about two-thirds of the way from Venus to tonight’s moon. The Jovian Giant rambles eastward in front of Taurus, 5.8° above Aldebaran. Look each clear evening for a widening gap to the constellation’s brightest star.
Tonight, Mercury sets 94 minutes after sundown, followed by Venus about 30 minutes later. During the night, Jupiter appears farther west, setting after midnight and five hours before sunrise. Mars sets in the west-northwest over two hours before daybreak and before the beginning of morning twilight.
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