Mercury (Planet)
© NASA/JPL/MESSENGER
Finder chart
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From Cambridge , Mercury is not observable – it will reach its highest point in the sky during daytime and is no higher than 0° above the horizon at dusk.
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|
Name
Mercury
|
Object type
Inferior planet
|
Current position
| Computed for: | 10 September 2026 |
| Right ascension: | 11h56m [2] |
| Declination: | +01°13' [2] |
| Constellation: | Virgo |
| Magnitude: | -0.69 (V) [1] |
| Angular diameter: | 4.9 arcsec[2] |
| Distance: | 1.36 AU 11.32 lightmin [2] |
Orbital elements [2]
| Semi-major axis: | 0.39 AU |
| Eccentricity: | 0.205636 |
| Inclination: | 7.00° |
| Longitude ascending node: | 48.33° |
| Argument of perihelion: | 29.13° |
| Epoch of elements: | 1 Jan 2000 |
| Mean Anomaly at epoch: | 174.79° |
| Absolute mag (H): | -0.65 [1] |
| Slope parameter (n): | 2.00 [1] |
Derived quantities
| Perihelion: | 0.31 AU |
| Aphelion: | 0.47 AU |
| Orbital period: | 0.24 years |
Sources
| [1] | Robin M. Green, Spherical Astronomy, 1985, ISBN 0-521-31779-7 |
| [2] | Explanatory Supplement to the Astronomical Almanac, 2013, Urban & Seidelmann, Eds., Table 8.7, ISBN 978-1-891389-85-6 |
Visibility from Cambridge
All times shown in Cambridge local time.
Events
| 14 Aug 2026 | – Mercury at perihelion |
| 27 Aug 2026 | – Mercury at superior solar conjunction |
| 27 Sep 2026 | – Mercury at aphelion |
| 08 Oct 2026 | – Mercury at highest altitude in evening sky |
| 12 Oct 2026 | – Mercury at greatest elongation east |
| 17 Oct 2026 | – Mercury at dichotomy |
| 04 Nov 2026 | – Mercury at inferior solar conjunction |
| 10 Nov 2026 | – Mercury at perihelion |
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