1 00:00:20,487 --> 00:00:22,789 THE TRANSIT OF MERCURY 2019! 2 00:00:22,889 --> 00:00:25,191 JAMES: WELCOME TO STAR GAZERS. 3 00:00:25,291 --> 00:00:28,862 I'M JAMES ALBURY, DIRECTOR OF THE KIKA SILVA PLA PLANETARIUM IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA. 4 00:00:28,962 --> 00:00:31,765 DEAN: AND I'M DEAN REGAS, ASTRONOMER FOR THE CINCINNATI 5 00:00:31,865 --> 00:00:32,999 OBSERVATORY. 6 00:00:33,099 --> 00:00:35,568 WE'RE HERE TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR WAY AROUND THE SKY. 7 00:00:35,668 --> 00:00:39,706 THE LAST GREAT ASTRONOMICAL EVENT OF 2019 IS HAPPENING NEXT WEEK. 8 00:00:39,806 --> 00:00:42,409 AND WE'VE BEEN WAITING THREE YEARS TO SEE IT! 9 00:00:42,509 --> 00:00:45,011 JAMES: ITS NOT A PLANETARY CONJUNCTION AND ITS NOT 10 00:00:45,111 --> 00:00:46,813 A LUNAR OR SOLAR ECLIPSE. 11 00:00:46,913 --> 00:00:51,017 BUT IT IS SOMETHING SO RARE THAT IT ONLY OCCURS 13 TIMES EVERY CENTURY. 12 00:00:51,117 --> 00:00:54,154 DEAN: THE TINY PLANET MERCURY WILL GO DIRECTLY BETWEEN 13 00:00:54,254 --> 00:00:56,056 US AND THE SUN. 14 00:00:56,156 --> 00:01:00,427 YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SEE MERCURY COMPLETELY SILHOUETTED BY THE FUSION-Y FURNACE THAT IS OUR SUN. 15 00:01:00,527 --> 00:01:03,329 JAMES: ITS CALLED A TRANSIT OF MERCURY AND WE'LL 16 00:01:03,430 --> 00:01:07,901 GET YOU READY TO VIEW THIS RARE EVENT SAFELY, ON NOVEMBER 11TH. 17 00:01:08,001 --> 00:01:09,102 LETS SHOW YOU! 18 00:01:09,202 --> 00:01:12,272 DEAN: OK, THE DATE IS MONDAY NOVEMBER 11TH, AND 19 00:01:12,372 --> 00:01:14,174 IT IS JUST BEFORE SUNRISE. 20 00:01:14,274 --> 00:01:18,111 IF WE'RE GOING TO SEE MERCURY PASS IN FRONT OF THE SUN, THAT MEANS WE HAVE TO LOOK DURING 21 00:01:18,211 --> 00:01:19,212 THE DAYTIME. 22 00:01:19,312 --> 00:01:20,847 SO WE'LL GO THROUGH SEVERAL HOURS OF THAT 23 00:01:20,947 --> 00:01:22,348 DAY TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS. 24 00:01:22,449 --> 00:01:25,618 JAMES: FIRST LETS APPRECIATE THE SUNRISE. 25 00:01:25,718 --> 00:01:31,458 THE SUN WILL RISE IN THE SOUTHEAST, MOVE UP AND TO THE RIGHT, CUT SLOWLY AND SURELY ACROSS 26 00:01:31,558 --> 00:01:35,428 THE SOUTHERN SKY, AND THEN SET IN THE SOUTHWEST. 27 00:01:35,528 --> 00:01:36,429 DID YOU NOTICE ANYTHING? 28 00:01:36,529 --> 00:01:37,764 DEAN: I SURE DIDNT. 29 00:01:37,864 --> 00:01:40,400 I THOUGHT THIS TRANSIT OF MERCURY WAS SOME AWESOME EVENT! 30 00:01:40,500 --> 00:01:42,502 I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY. 31 00:01:42,602 --> 00:01:45,371 JAMES: THATS BECAUSE A TRANSIT OF MERCURY IS A SUBTLE 32 00:01:45,472 --> 00:01:48,808 ALIGNMENT THAT TAKES A SKILLFUL, SAVVY OBSERVER TO WITNESS. 33 00:01:48,908 --> 00:01:51,611 AND ONE NEEDS ACCESS TO SOME EXTRA EQUIPMENT. 34 00:01:51,711 --> 00:01:56,616 REMEMBER, MERCURY IS VERY SMALL, AND STARING AT THE SUN TOO LONG WILL BLIND YOU. 35 00:01:56,716 --> 00:01:59,419 DEAN: FIRST YOULL NEED A SAFE, SOLAR FILTER. 36 00:01:59,519 --> 00:02:02,188 ONE THAT IS APPROVED BY ASTRONOMERS TO LOOK AT THE SUN. 37 00:02:02,288 --> 00:02:07,060 DO NOT USE SUNGLASSES, FOIL, CDS, FILM NEGATIVES, MYLAR, 38 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:09,429 X-RAYS, OR ANY HOMEMADE FILTER. 39 00:02:09,529 --> 00:02:11,064 THEY WILL NOT PROTECT YOU. 40 00:02:11,164 --> 00:02:14,134 JAMES: SOLAR ECLIPSE GLASSES AND #14 WELDERS GLASS 41 00:02:14,234 --> 00:02:19,005 CAN PROTECT YOU FROM THE SUN, BUT YOU'LL NEED MORE THAN THAT TO SEE MERCURY THAT DAY. 42 00:02:19,105 --> 00:02:20,707 YOU'LL NEED MAGNIFICATION! 43 00:02:20,807 --> 00:02:24,244 DEAN: MERCURY IS SO SMALL COMPARED TO THE SUN, THAT 44 00:02:24,344 --> 00:02:26,813 YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SEE IT WITH THE NAKED EYE. 45 00:02:26,913 --> 00:02:30,483 THAT MEANS YOU'LL NEED TO PUT SAFE FILTERS ON YOUR BINOCULARS AND TELESCOPES 46 00:02:30,583 --> 00:02:31,918 O SEE IT. 47 00:02:32,018 --> 00:02:34,821 PROPER FILTERS GO IN FRONT OF THE LENSES OR MIRRORS AND BLOCK 48 00:02:34,921 --> 00:02:37,290 OUT THE LIGHT BEFORE IT ENTERS THE TELESCOPE. 49 00:02:37,390 --> 00:02:39,726 JAMES: ONCE YOURE PROPERLY OUTFITTED, HERE'S WHAT 50 00:02:39,826 --> 00:02:42,595 THE SUN WILL LOOK LIKE WITH A ZOOMED-IN VIEW. 51 00:02:42,695 --> 00:02:47,133 YOU'LL FIRST SEE MERCURY AT AROUND 7:36 AM EASTERN STANDARD TIME AS A LITTLE 52 00:02:47,233 --> 00:02:50,637 BLACK SPOT GROWING ALONG THE EDGE OF THE SUN. 53 00:02:50,737 --> 00:02:54,641 BY 7:38 MERCURY WILL APPEAR COMPLETELY INSIDE THE SUN'S DISC. 54 00:02:54,741 --> 00:02:56,176 DEAN: TO PARAPHRASE 55 00:02:56,276 --> 00:03:00,413 A CERTAIN SONG, THERE'LL BE A LITTLE BLACK SPOT ON THE SUN THAT DAY! 56 00:03:00,513 --> 00:03:02,282 JAMES: INDEED 57 00:03:02,382 --> 00:03:05,985 THEN YOU CAN WATCH MERCURY SLOWLY CONTINUE IN ITS ORBIT AROUND THE SUN, AND SEEM TO PASS 58 00:03:06,085 --> 00:03:09,122 THROUGH IT, MINUTE BY MINUTE, HOUR BY HOUR. 59 00:03:09,222 --> 00:03:11,558 AT 10:30 AM IT WILL BE ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH. 60 00:03:11,658 --> 00:03:14,961 DEAN: THEN AT 1:02 PM MERCURY STARTS HEADING OFF 61 00:03:15,061 --> 00:03:19,199 THE SUN AND TWO MINUTES LATER, MERCURY IS INVISIBLE ONCE MORE. 62 00:03:19,299 --> 00:03:24,037 SO A TRANSIT OF MERCURY CAN LAST MORE THAN FIVE HOURS, WITH THE MOST EXCITING PARTS AT 63 00:03:24,137 --> 00:03:26,005 THE BEGINNING AND THE END. 64 00:03:26,105 --> 00:03:29,375 JAMES: IF YOU DONT HAVE A SAFE SOLAR FILTER AND A 65 00:03:29,475 --> 00:03:32,946 TELESCOPE, CONTACT YOUR LOCAL ASTRONOMY CLUB OR PLANETARIUM. 66 00:03:33,046 --> 00:03:36,749 CHANCES ARE, THEY WILL BE WELCOMING GUESTS TO VIEW THIS RARE EVENT. 67 00:03:36,849 --> 00:03:41,321 ASTRONOMERS, WHETHER AMATEUR OR PROFESSIONAL, LOVE SHARING THE HEAVENS WITH OTHERS. 68 00:03:41,421 --> 00:03:44,424 SO SEE IF YOUR COMMUNITY IS PLANNING A TRANSIT OF MERCURY PARTY ON 69 00:03:44,524 --> 00:03:45,658 NOVEMBER 11TH. 70 00:03:45,758 --> 00:03:47,961 DEAN: FINALLY, NOTICE THAT THE TRANSIT LASTS FROM 71 00:03:48,061 --> 00:03:52,232 7:36 AM TO 1:02 PM EASTERN STANDARD TIME. 72 00:03:52,332 --> 00:03:54,400 PLEASE ADJUST YOUR TIME ACCORDINGLY. 73 00:03:54,500 --> 00:03:58,137 THAT MEANS THAT PEOPLE ON THE WEST COAST WILL NOT SEE THE BEGINNING OF THE TRANSIT, BECAUSE 74 00:03:58,238 --> 00:03:59,906 THE SUN WILL NOT HAVE RISEN YET. 75 00:04:00,006 --> 00:04:03,109 JAMES; BUT FEAR NOT, YOULL STILL SEE HOURS OF IT 76 00:04:03,209 --> 00:04:05,878 BEFORE MERCURY DEPARTS THE SUNS DISC. 77 00:04:05,979 --> 00:04:08,114 STAR GAZERS ON THE EAST COAST WILL SEE THE ENTIRE THING. 78 00:04:08,214 --> 00:04:09,382 DEAN: YOU KNOW WHAT, JAMES? 79 00:04:09,482 --> 00:04:11,351 I'VE WAITED THREE YEARS TO SEE THIS TRANSIT! 80 00:04:11,451 --> 00:04:13,186 JAMES: ME TOO! 81 00:04:13,286 --> 00:04:16,489 AND IF YOU MISS THIS ONE, THE NEXT TRANSIT OF MERCURY WON'T BE UNTIL NOVEMBER 13, 2032 82 00:04:16,589 --> 00:04:22,061 AND THE NEXT ONE VISIBLE FROM THE UNITED STATES WONT BE UNTIL MAY 7, 2049. 83 00:04:22,161 --> 00:04:23,563 DEAN: WOW! 84 00:04:23,663 --> 00:04:26,332 IN OTHER WORDS, ON NOVEMBER 11TH MAKE SURE YOU 85 00:04:26,432 --> 00:04:30,432 BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!