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the transit of Mercury welcome 
stargazers I'm James Albert director the

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kike Sola pop planetarium in Gainesville 
Florida and I'm Dean Regas astronomer

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for the Cincinnati Observatory we're 
here to help you find your way around

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the sky the astronomical event of 2016 
it's happening next week and I have been

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waiting years to see it it's not a 
planetary conjunction and it's not a

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lunar or solar eclipse but it is 
something so rare that it only occurs 13

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times every century the tiny planet 
Mercury will go directly between us and

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the Sun will be able to see mercury 
completely silhouetted by the fusion

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furnace that is our son it's called the 
transit of Mercury and we'll get you

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ready to view this rare event safely on 
may ninth well lets show you the date is

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Monday May 9 and is just before sunrise 
if we're going to see mercury pass in

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front of the Sun that means we have to 
look during the daytime so we'll go

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through the entire day to see what 
happens

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first let's appreciate the sunrise not 
always like Dean over there really see

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the beauty and grandeur of the sky at 
this time of day

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definitely beautiful the sunrise North 
East move up and to the right

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cuts slowly and surely across the 
southern sky and then set in the

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northwest

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did you notice anything I sure didn't I 
thought this transit of Mercury was some

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awesome event I didn't see anything out 
of the ordinary

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that's because the transit of Mercury is 
a sub alignment that takes us skillful

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savvy observer to witness and one needs 
access to some extra equipment Maria

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small after all and staring at the Sun 
too long will strike you blind

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first safe solar filter one that is 
approved by astronomers to look at the

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Sun do not use sun glasses for CDs film 
negatives mylar X-rays or any homemade

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filter they will not protect solar 
eclipse glasses and number fourteen

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welder's glass would protect you from 
the Sun but you'll need more than that

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to see mercury on that day you'll need 
is so small compared to the Sun that you

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will not be able to see it with the 
naked eye

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that means you need to put say filters 
on binoculars and telescopes just to see

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it

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good filters go in front of the lenses 
or mirrors and block out the light

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before entering the telescope once 
you're properly outfitted tears of the

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Sun will look like with a zoomed in view 
your first see mercury 7:13 a.m. Eastern

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Daylight Time as a little black spot 
growing along the edge of the Sun at

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7:16 worker will appear completely 
inside the Sun's disk to paraphrase a

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certain song they'll be a little black 
spot on the sonne this may indeed then

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you can watch mercury slowly continue in 
its orbit around the Sun and passed

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directly in front of it minute by minute 
hour by hour at 10:30 a.m. it will be

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about halfway through then at 2:38 p.m. 
mercury starts heading off the Sun and

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three minutes later

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mercury is invisible once more so a 
transit of Mercury can last over seven

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hours with the most exciting parts at 
the beginning and the end

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if you don't have a safe solar filter 
and a telescope contact your local

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astronomy club or planetarium chances 
are they'll be doing this rare event and

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welcome guests astronomers whether 
amateur or professional love sharing the

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heavens with others so see if your 
community is planning a transit of

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Mercury party on May night finally 
noticed that the transit last from 7:13

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a.m. to 2:41 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time 
please adjust your time accordingly

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that means that people on the west coast 
will not see the beginning of the

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transit the Sun will not have risen at 
that time but they're not you'll still

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see hours of a performer creed two parts 
the Sun's disk stargazers on the east

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coast will see the entire thing 
including my brother Chris whose

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birthday is may not have waited to see 
this since November 8 2006 that was the

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last transit of Mercury and I got 
clouded out and if you miss this one

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the next transit of Mercury won't be 
until November 11th 2019 in other words

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I may not be better keep looking