Stargazing: May is the best month to spot planet Mercury

Image source, Getty Images

Are you interested in astronomy? Well get your telescope ready, because May is the best month this year to try and spot Mercury.

The planet, which is the closest to the sun, is usually very tricky to see. Mercury normally hides behind or in front of the sun, making it very hard to spot. But, this May could be your chance!

The best time to spot the planet is in the evenings, when the horizon is clear. A top tip is to find an unobstructed view to the west and look in the direction of the sunset. Wait until the Sun has set to begin your search, and you might be able to see it.

And, remember never look at the Sun directly as this can be dangerous!

Image source, Getty Images

Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar systems, it is also the closest to the sun being around 36 million miles (58 million km) away.

It is a rocky planet, that has a solid surface similar to Earth's moon, but Mercury doesn't have any moons of it's own.

There isn't any evidence yet of life on Mercury. In the day temperatures can be up to 430 degrees Celsius and drop to -180 at night, so it's not likely that life as we know it could survive on the planet.

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