Here’s how to do it. First, find an unobstructed horizon in the direction of sunrise, then start your search about one hour and 15 minutes before sunrise. Let the planet Venus, the brightest point of light in the eastern sky, be your guide to these two fainter planets. Look two to three finger-widths to Venus’ lower left to spot Mercury and Saturn snuggling up together. Hold your fingers an arm length away.
If you can’t see Mercury and Saturn with the unaided eye, try binoculars or low power on a telescope. Mercury is the brighter of these two worlds, with Saturn shining to Mercury’s upper left. Your window of opportunity for finding Mercury and Saturn will be around 75 to 45 minutes before sunrise.
Although Mercury and Saturn are close together on the sky’s dome, they’re far apart in space. Tomorrow morning, Mercury – the innermost planet – lies somewhat more than 8 light-minutes away. Meanwhile, Saturn – the 6th planet outward from the sun – resides at over 10 times farther than Mercury, at some 86 light-minutes from Earth.
