Mercury appears next to a thin crescent moon Friday night. If you’ve ever wanted to see this challenging visual planet, Friday is ideal. Plus, you get some help from the moon. Take a look less than an hour after sunset.

Look for the thin crescent moon low in the southwestern sky. You’ll need a clear unobstructed horizon. We like looking at the West Chop overlook or down at the Menemsha Beach. When twilight takes over, Mercury and the moon appear.

The thin crescent, an almost paper-thin moon, will appears in the southwestern sky. Look to the right for a faint celestial object about equal distance from the horizon. Mercury is tough. It only takes one small cloud hovering in the western sky to ruin a good show.

If the weather doesn’t cooperate tonight, try again Saturday night. The moon will be considerably higher, but Mercury remains a constant, at least for the next week or more.

Mercury reaches its highest point above the horizon on April 18. From then on, the planet gradually appears lower and lower.

Moon and Taurus

The crescent moon appears in the zodiacal constellation Taurus tomorrow night and Sunday night. The moon is nearest the Pleiades tomorrow night. You’ll see the faint star cluster to the right of the moon. On Sunday night, the moon appears near the bright star Aldebaran, the principal star, in the head of the mythological bull.