On this date, Mercury reaches its greatest eastern elongation — the moment when it appears farthest from the Sun in the evening sky. Since Mercury orbits closer to the Sun than Earth, it is usually hidden in the Sun’s glare. During elongation, however, the planet briefly becomes visible after sunset. Low in the western sky, Venus and Saturn can also be seen nearby, forming what many people call a “planet parade.” In reality, the planets are not close together in space. They only appear grouped b