During the afternoon of Monday 11th November, the planet Mercury will transit the Sun. This means it will pass between the Earth and Sun and be visible (with special solar viewing equipment*) as a dark blob moving across the face of the Sun.

The NSO will hopefully (weather permitting) be tweeting about the transit, it would be great if you could join us online for this fantastic event!

We have created a special certificate for you to print out and write your name on.

The transit will begin at lunchtime and continue until after the sun has set. You will be able to see Mercury start to cross the face of the Sun from 12.35pm and will reach the middle about 3.19pm. As the transit is taking place in winter in the UK, the sun will set before Mercury has completed its transit.

The last Mercury transit happened in 2016 and the next one won’t be till 2032!

 

* Looking directly at the Sun with your eyes or even with a telescope is extremely dangerous and can cause blindness. You can watch this video recorded by astronomer Prof. Lucie Green (https://vimeo.com/366703749) to find out how to safely view the transit of Mercury.

If you don't have the correct equipment you could join our friends at the Royal Observatory Greenwich live on Facebook as they broadcast the transit of Mercury using their state-of-the-art telescope. Watch from 12.25PM on 11 November 2019.