Look for Mercury farthest from the morning sun this week

Mercury farthest from the sunrise on November 21

The innermost planet Mercury orbits the sun every 88 days. And Earth is moving, too. So Mercury ends up passing between us and the sun about every 116 days. It last did this on November 4, 2026, reaching the point astronomers call inferior conjunction. And since then, Mercury has been speeding ahead of Earth in orbit.

And now, the second week of November, it’s started to re-emerge into our eastern morning sky. Look for it in the sunrise direction shortly before dawn. Mercury will reach its greatest morning elongation – its greatest apparent distance from the rising sun – on November 21, 2026. This morning apparition – a brief one – favors the Northern Hemisphere.

Mercury greatest elongation, November 2026

When to watch: Officially, Mercury emerged the second week of November in the morning sky. Look for it shortly before sunrise. At greatest elongation – November 21, 2026 – Mercury is farthest from the sunrise on our sky’s dome. And after that, when it’s edging back toward the sunrise, it’ll brighten a little bit more. That will make Mercury easier to spot in the morning twilight.
Where to look: Look in the sunrise direction as the sky is getting lighter.
Greatest elongation – marking Mercury’s farthest point from the sunrise glare – is on November 21, 2026 at 0 UTC (6 p.m. CT on November 20). Mercury will shine at magnitude -0.6 that morning. At that time, Mercury will be 20 degrees from the sun on our sky’s dome.
Through a telescope on and around November 21, Mercury appears 62% illuminated and 6.64 arcseconds across.
Note: After November 21, Mercury brightens a bit to magnitude -0.9 (bright, but competing with the morning twilight) until it slips away later – around mid-month – in the December morning twilight.
Venus is nearby: Also in the morning twilight – but higher is the sky – is bright Venus.

For precise sun and Mercury rising times at your location:

Old Farmer’s Almanac (U.S. and Canada)
timeanddate.com (worldwide)
Stellarium (online planetarium)

Mercury events in 2026

Jan 21, 2026: Superior conjunction (passes behind sun from Earth)
Feb 19, 2026: Greatest elongation (evening)
Mar 7, 2026: Inferior conjunction (races between Earth and sun)
Apr 3, 2026: Greatest elongation (morning)
May 14, 2026: Superior conjunction (passes behind sun from Earth)
Jun 15, 2026: Greatest elongation (evening)
Jul 13, 2026: Inferior conjunction (races between Earth and sun)
Aug 2, 2026: Greatest elongation (morning)
Aug 27, 2026: Superior conjunction (passes behind sun from Earth)
Oct 12, 2026: Greatest elongation (evening)
Nov 4, 2026: Inferior conjunction (races between Earth and sun)
Nov 21, 2026: Greatest elongation (morning)

Mercury charts from Guy Ottewell

A comparison of elongations

Mercury’s greatest elongations are not equal. Indeed, some are “greater” than others. For example, the distance of Mercury from the sun on our sky’s dome varies from about 28 degrees (maximum) to 18 degrees (minimum).

Also, Mercury’s elongations are better or worse depending on the time of the year they occur and your location on Earth. So, for both hemispheres, spring evenings and autumn mornings are best.

As an illustration, the chart below – from a Northern Hemisphere perspective – might help you visualize these differences.

Heliocentric solar system, November 2026

Seasons make a difference

So, in the autumn for either hemisphere, the ecliptic – or path of the sun, moon and planets – makes a narrow angle to the horizon in the evening. Conversely, it makes a steep slant, nearly perpendicular, in the morning. So – in autumn from either hemisphere – morning elongations of Mercury are best. Then, Mercury appears higher above the horizon and farther from the glow of the sun. Conversely, evening elongations in autumn are harder to see.

On the other hand, in the spring for either hemisphere, the situation reverses. Then, the ecliptic and the horizon meet at a sharper angle on spring evenings and at a narrower angle on spring mornings. So, in springtime for either hemisphere, evening elongations of Mercury are best. Meanwhile, morning elongations in springtime are harder to see.

Bottom line: Mercury will reach its greatest elongation – greatest distance from the sunrise – on November 21, 2026. Look east at dawn. It’ll disappear from the morning sky in mid-December. Bright Venus will be nearby.

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