Mercury Makes Perfect Alignment with Earth in Rare Celestial
Posted: Mon Nov 11, 2019 4:50 pm
The planet Mercury is seen in silhouette, low center, from Washington, as it transits across the face of the Sun, Nov. 11, 2019. (Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Stargazers witnessed a rare celestial event on Monday, as Mercury passed directly across the face of the sun.
Mercury, the solar system's smallest planet and closest to the sun, won't make the next such transit until 2032.
The tiny planet traveled directly between Earth and the sun on Monday, creating a perfect alignment.
The best views of the event took place in North and South America, while viewers in Europe and Africa were able to see part of Mercury's passage.
Stargazers had to use solar-filtered binoculars and telescopes to spot Mercury, which appeared as a small black dot on the face of the sun.
For those who could not see the event directly, the U.S. Space agency, NASA, live-streamed images of the celestial transit, which took about five and a half hours.