Daytime in a Dark Sky Community
Watch the transit of Mercury
Mercury is not often visible, but late in the year, it will be visible in a special way. On Monday, November 11, 2019, the closest planet to the sun will pass between the sun and the Earth, appearing as a black dot on the sun’s surface between 6:14 am and 10:04 am. This will be the first transit of Mercury to be visible from North America since 2016. There will be no other Mercury transits for the United States until May 7, 2049.
Mercury, the smallest of the planets visible to the naked eye, shines as an evening star in the western sky setting about an hour after the sun. As a morning “star,” it appears in the eastern sky, rising about an hour before the sun. There must be a clear, unobstructed horizon on these occasions. Mercury usually appears as a bright “star” with a yellowish or ochre hue.
If your glasses from the solar eclipse of 2017 are still in good condition, this will be the perfect opportunity to bring them out. AccuWeather warns that under no conditions should anyone try to view the phenomenon with the naked eye.