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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

through the entire day to see what
happens

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

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

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

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

northwest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

filter they will not protect solar
eclipse glasses and number fourteen

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

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

will not be able to see it with the
naked eye

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

it

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

three minutes later

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

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

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

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

welcome guests astronomers whether
amateur or professional love sharing the

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

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

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

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

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

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

coast will see the entire thing
including my brother Chris whose

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

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

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

I may not be better keep looking