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How far is Mercury from Earth right now?
Mercury is 172,701,026 km from Earth right now, getting closer at 23.53 km/s.
Mercury from Earth, right now
Centre to centre. Worked out in your browser from JPL's orbital elements, the same maths that moves the planets in the 3D viewer, and updated ten times a second.
Where Earth and Mercury are today
Why the distance keeps changing
Mercury races around the Sun in 88 days, so the distance swings quickly. It is closest when Mercury passes between Earth and the Sun (inferior conjunction) and farthest when it is on the far side of the Sun.
At its closest Mercury is lost in the Sun's glare, which is why the best time to see it is weeks either side, low in twilight.
Mercury ranges from about 77.3 million km to about 221.9 million km from Earth.
Questions
How far is Mercury from Earth right now?
On 2 October 2026, Mercury was 172.7 million km from Earth (107,311,443 miles, 1.1544 AU), and getting closer at 23.53 km/s. The figure at the top of this page is worked out live in your browser, so it is current whenever you read it.
When is Mercury next closest to Earth?
Mercury next comes closest to Earth on 3 November 2026, at about 100.6 million km. Close approaches like this, at inferior conjunction, come round about every 116 days.
How long does light take to travel from Mercury to Earth?
Right now light from Mercury takes 9 min 36.1 s to reach us, so we see Mercury as it was that long ago. Radio signals to a spacecraft there take the same time.
What is the closest and farthest Mercury gets from Earth?
Mercury can come as close as about 77.3 million km and be as far as about 221.9 million km, worked out from the sizes and shapes of the two orbits.