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Mercury is farthest from the sunset on July 3-4

Mercury is our sun’s innermost planet. So it always lies near the sun in our sky. Mercury is now in the west after sunset. This small, speedy planet will reach its greatest elongation, its greatest apparent distance from the sun in our sky, on July 3-4, 2025. And higher in the sky look for the red planet Mars.

Mercury after sunset in July 2025

Where to look: Look west, in the sunset direction – shortly after sunset – for Mercury. And Mars will be higher in the western sky and shining with the same brightness as a 1st magnitude star. Look for them in the western evening twilight.
Greatest elongation: Mercury is farthest from the sun on our sky’s dome at 5 UTC (12 a.m. CDT) on July 4, 2025. At that time, Mercury will be 26 degrees from the sun in our sky. See A comparison of elongations, below.
Brightness: Mercury emerged in the evening sky during the second week of June. Since then, it’s been shining at around -0.6 magnitude and will be shining at +0.5 magnitude on July 4. At greatest elongation it’ll be farther from the sunset glare and still brighter than most stars! In the evenings after greatest elongation, the innermost planet will rapidly fade as it starts to move between Earth and the sun, meaning its illuminated side will become less and less visible. It’ll disappear later this month and will reach inferior conjunction – when it passes between Earth and the sun – at 0 UTC on August 1.
Through a telescope: Mercury will appear about 41% illuminated at greatest elongation. It’ll measure 7.9 arcseconds across.
Constellation: Mercury will lie in front of the constellation Cancer the Crab at this elongation. Doubtless, most of the stars in this constellation will be lost in the twilight.
Note: As the innermost planet, Mercury is tied to the sun in our sky. As a result, it never ventures very far above the horizon after sunset. So as soon as the sun disappears below your horizon, your clock starts ticking. Will you see the glowing point of light that is Mercury before it drops below the horizon, following the setting sun?

Diagram: Earth and Mercury orbits with sun in middle and lines of sight from Earth to Mercury and sun.
At greatest elongation, Mercury is to one side of the sun and is at its greatest distance from the sun on our sky’s dome. Mercury reaches greatest eastern (evening) elongation from the sun at 5 UTC on July 4, 2025. That’s 12 a.m. CDT. It is then 26 degrees from the sun in the evening sky. This is a favorable evening apparition of Mercury for the Southern Hemisphere. Chart via EarthSky.

A pair of planets in the evening sky

Sphere chart showing a dot, Mercury, near the horizon line and another dot, Mars, farther from the horizon than the first dot: Mars and Mercury in the early July evening sky from the Northern Hemisphere
In early July, we’ve got the 2 planets Mercury and Mars in the evening sky. They will lie along the path the sun travels in the daytime (the green line on our chart). Look for Mercury close to the western horizon about 40 minutes after sunset. Mars will be higher in the sky and will lie in front of the constellation Leo the Lion. It’ll set before midnight this month. Mercury will reach its greatest distance from the sun in early July before slipping away later in the month. Chart via EarthSky.

July 3-4: Mercury greatest elongation from the sun

A dot, Mercury, is above a wavy line, the horizon. To the upper left is another dot, the star Regulus.
In early July, from the Northern Hemisphere, Mercury will lie low in the west shortly after sunset. It’ll reach greatest elongation from the sun at 5 UTC on July 4. The bright star Regulus will be nearby. Chart via EarthSky.

July 3-4: Mercury greatest elongation from the sun Southern Hemisphere

A dot, Mercury, is above a wavy line, the horizon and below another dot, the star Regulus. A third larger dot, the star Procyon, is to the first dot's left.
For observers in the Southern Hemisphere, Mercury will lie low in the west during early July. It’ll reach its greatest elongation from the sun at 5 UTC on July 4. The bright stars Procyon will be nearby and Regulus shine above it. Chart via EarthSky.

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 2025

Note: Times are in UTC

Feb 9, 2025: Superior conjunction (passes behind sun from Earth)
Mar 8, 2025: Greatest elongation (evening)
Mar 24, 2025: Inferior conjunction (races between Earth and sun)
Apr 21, 2025: Greatest elongation (morning)
May 30, 2025: Superior conjunction (passes behind sun from Earth)
Jul 4, 2025: Greatest elongation (evening)
Aug 1, 2025: Inferior conjunction (races between Earth and sun)
Aug 19, 2025: Greatest elongation (morning)
Sep 13, 2025: Superior conjunction (passes behind sun from Earth)
Oct 29, 2025: Greatest elongation (evening)
Nov 20, 2025: Inferior conjunction (races between Earth and sun)
Dec 7, 2025: Greatest elongation (morning)

Heliocentric view of Mercury July 2025

Circle with sun at center, planets around, and zodiac names on outer edge.
Heliocentric view of solar system, July 2025. Chart via Guy Ottewell’s 2025 Astronomical Calendar. Used with permission. Plus Guy Ottewell explains heliocentric charts here.

A comparison of elongations

In July 2025, Mercury stretches out 26 degrees from the sun in our sky. In fact, the farthest from the sun that Mercury can ever appear on the sky’s dome is about 28 degrees. And the least distance is around 18 degrees.

Mercury (and Venus) elongations are better or worse depending on the time of the year they occur. So in 2025, the Northern Hemisphere will have the best evening apparition in March. And the Southern Hemisphere will have its best evening elongation of Mercury in late October.

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. But it makes a steep slant, nearly perpendicular, in the morning. So, in autumn from either hemisphere, morning elongations of Mercury are best. That’s when Mercury appears higher above the horizon and farther from the glow of the sun. However, evening elongations in autumn are harder to see.

In the spring for either hemisphere, the situation reverses. The ecliptic and horizon meet at a sharper angle on spring evenings and 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.

Chart with row of steep, alternating light blue and gray arcs, each with a date and height in degrees.
Mercury elongations compared. Here, gray areas represent evening apparitions (eastward elongation). Blue areas represent morning apparitions (westward elongation). The top figures are the maximum elongations, reached at the top dates shown beneath. Curves show the altitude of the planet above the horizon at sunrise or sunset, for latitude 40 degrees north (thick line) and 35 degrees south (thin line). Likewise, maxima are reached at the parenthesized dates below (40 degrees north bold). Chart via Guy Ottewell’s 2025 Astronomical Calendar. Used with permission.

More Mercury evening elongation comparisons for 2025

Sky chart with constellations, arc-shaped dotted planet paths, and objects labeled.
Mercury’s greatest evening elongations in 2025 from the Southern Hemisphere as viewed through a powerful telescope. The planet images are at the 1st, 11th, and 21st of each month. Dots show the actual positions of the planet for every day. Chart via Guy Ottewell’s 2025 Astronomical Calendar. Used with permission.
Sky chart with constellations, arc-shaped dotted planet paths, and objects labeled.
Mercury’s greatest evening elongations in 2025 from the Northern Hemisphere as viewed through a powerful telescope. The planet images are at the 1st, 11th, and 21st of each month. Dots show the actual positions of the planet for every day. Chart via Guy Ottewell’s 2025 Astronomical Calendar. Used with permission.

Bottom line: The sun’s innermost planet, Mercury, will lie 26 degrees from the sunset when it reaches its greatest elongation at 5 UTC on July 4. This is a favorable evening apparition of Mercury in 2025 for the Southern Hemisphere.

Submit your photos to EarthSky here.

Read about greatest elongations, superior and inferior conjunctions: Definitions for stargazers

Posted 
July 1, 2025
 in 
Tonight

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