August is full of celestial events, and this week marks a milestone for the 4.503 billion-year-old planet known as Mercury.

Being such a small planet that lies close to the sun, Mercury can be difficult to see. That’ll change on Aug. 19, when planet-gazers on Earth can look up and see Mercury at its greatest distance from the sun, according to Time and Date .

This period where it is farthest from the sun, called the greatest elongation, happens twice every 116 days or so (or about every four months), reported Time and Date.

Elongation is essentially how far apart the sun and a planet appear when we look at them in the sky, the Pierce College Science Dome in western Washington shared on social media.

Because the planet appears farthest from the sun, the sun’s glare doesn’t impede ou

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