Mercury Transit
On May 9 the planet Mercury will move directly between the Earth and the Sun. Viewers with telescopes and approved solar filters will be able to observe the dark disk of the planet Mercury moving across the face of the Sun. This is an extremely rare event that occurs only once every few years. There will be one other transit of Mercury in 2019 and then the next one will not take place until 2032. This transit will be visible throughout North America, Mexico, Central America, South America, and parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa. The best place to view this event in its entirety will be the eastern United States and eastern South America. (credit: seasky.org)
Lowell Observatory will open at 8 a.m. in order to view the transit. In Flagstaff, the transit will be in progress when the Sun rises. The transit begins at 4:13 a.m. and sunrise is at 5:27 a.m. The transit ends at 11:42 a.m. We will have solar telescopes, sunspotters and solar glasses available for guests.