It's not too faint. Whether or not it's too close to the sun depends on where it and the earth are in their orbits. When Mercury is at greatest elongation, it's

It's not too faint. Whether or not it's too close to the sun depends on where it and the earth are in their orbits. When Mercury is at greatest elongation, it's quite visible, but you have you only view it just after sunset or before sunrise (depending on whether it's eastern or western elongation).