“The transit happens when Mercury, the smallest planet of the solar system, comes directly between the sun and the earth at an angle which allows it to be seen in silhouette as a black dot”, he said.
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Mercury – the smallest planet in the solar system – passes between earth and the sun roughly every four months, but its orbit is tilted.
The May 9, 2016 transit of Mercury will be visible in its entirety across the eastern US, and South America, western Europe and western Africa.
The Dubai Astronomy Group has stated according to UAE time, Mercury’s transit will start at 3.12pm and will continue for almost seven hours, but the sun will set here while the transit in its prime.
SIOUX CITY | The public is invited to Morningside College on Monday to view a rare solar occurrence.
Indians will be able to see the Mercury surpassing the Sun at about 4:30 pm, revealed Astronomical Society of India (ASI).
French astronomer Pierre Gassendi was the first person to observe a Mercury transit through a telescope in 1631, two decades after the instrument was invented. In Australia, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Eastern Malaysia, and extreme Eastern Russia and China will not be able to see the event.
The transit will end at 7.40pm. The last time the event took place was in 20016.
How long will the transit be visible? And because Mercury is a much smaller planet and farther away than Venus, it will require more effort to see it.
You’ll need binoculars or telescopes equipped with proper solar filters to protect your eyes.
The transition can be enjoyed watching online or using a telescope with a special filter.
Mercury last crossed the sun in 2006.
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How Can You Watch Mercury Passing The Sun? Also, looking directly into the sun’s rays can cause permanent eye damage. Eastern Europe and most of Asia will miss the latter hours, while the transit will already be in progress when the sun rises in the western US and parts of South America.
