If there ever was a planet that has gotten a bad rap for its inability to be readily observed it would have to be Mercury, known in some circles as the "elusive planet."
Mercury is called an "inferior planet" because its orbit is nearer to the sun than the Earth's. Therefore, it always appears from our vantage point to be in the same general direction as the sun. So near to the sun that it is often difficult to see with the unaided eye. In fact, Copernicus complained that he had never been able to enjoy a view of it, and this was doubtless because he lived at Frombork in northern Poland, near the Vistula River, where the sky near the horizon is often hazy owing to local mists and fog.
