May 30, 2025: Mercury is at superior conjunction on the sun’s far side.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:19 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:18 p.m. CDT. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.
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Mercury Superior Conjunction
Mercury is at superior conjunction on the sun’s far side. It is not visible from the central star’s blinding light.
As the closest planet to the sun, it revolves around the sun fastest, completing one solar orbit every 88 days. Mercury moves to the east of the sun, setting after sunset. It is never visible at midnight because its latest setting time is within two hours of sunset. It always appears in evening twilight, and unlike brilliant Venus, it is not easily visible.
For northern hemisphere sky watchers, the planet’s visibility prospects are unfavorable. At this season, the ecliptic, the solar system’s plane, makes a shallow angle with the western horizon. This makes Mercury low in the sky. In contrast, from the southern hemisphere, the ecliptic makes a higher angle with the western horizon, placing the planet higher in the sky during evening twilight.
Greatest Elongation, July 4th
On July 4th, Mercury reaches its largest separation from the sun, when it is nearly 26° from the sun – the Sun-Earth-Mercury angle. It sets only 85 minutes after sundown.
At 30 minutes after nightfall, the planet is about 10° up in the west. A binocular is needed to locate it. No other planets or bright stars are visible to assist with the planet’s identification.
Mercury, Moon, June 26th
On June 26th, the crescent moon is 3.7° to Mercury’s right and in the same binocular field. This is a better evening to see Mercury during this evening appearance.
During late June and early July look for Mercury through a binocular in the western evening sky. Now it is at superior conjunction.
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