Mercury Will Illuminate the Night Sky This Week—And It's Your Best Chance to See It All Year

While Mercury is often referred to as the most difficult planet to see with the naked eye because of how close it is to the sun, that won't be the case this month. According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Mercury is visible beneath Venus for the first week and a half of March.

For your best chance of seeing the planet, glance up at the sky about 30 minutes after sunset from March 7 to 9. Look 10 degrees above the west-southwest horizon, which can be determined by clenching your fist and holding it at arm's length. If you look one fist up from the horizon, you should be able to see Mercury, according to Space.com.

Another way to locate the planet is by looking slightly to the right of Venus, the brightest planet in our sky, which will be hovering about 15 degrees (or 1.5 fists) above Mercury. A waxing crescent moon will appear slightly to the left of Mercury at about 10 degrees. Mercury will have a slight yellow-orange hue.

March is the best time of year to see Mercury in the Northern Hemisphere, so don't miss it. Per NASA, Mercury is only visible for a few weeks every three to four months because the fast planet orbits the sun in just 88 days, so its position in the sky quickly moves from day to day.

When searching for Mercury this month, make sure your view isn't obstructed by trees, buildings, or other structures. Observing from a large, open field or the shore of a lake or seaside is ideal, NASA reports.