Look for the shining jewel of Mercury in the evening sky Science

For observers in the northern hemisphere, 2021 presents the chance to catch the bright jewel of Mercury in the evening sky.

Start your search on January 15, when the thin crescent moon of the new moon will help you move in the right direction. The moon will be a glorious strip, with only 7.4% of its surface illuminated by sunlight. If you don’t see Mercury falling in the west that evening, return in the following nights at sunset. Mercury will rise higher in the sky each night, becoming easier to notice as it happens, but the trade-off is that it will become weaker as it rises into the sky.

The graph shows the image to the southwest at 1700 GMT on January 15. Mercury will reach its greatest elongation from the sun and thus its highest altitude in the evening sky on January 23-24, but catching it early in appearance will allow you to watch its movement night after night. From Sydney, Australia, the planet will be almost lost in the sunshine. However, the crescent crescent will remain delightful.