Much to the delight of sky-watchers, a rare celestial crossing is all set to enthrall them on Monday, May 9, as they will be able to see Mercury make its way across the surface of the sun.
The so-called transit of Mercury occurs only about 13 times every century, and the next one won’t take place until 2019, say the astronomers. The transit will start at 4.40 pm IST and will last for 5 hours. However, from India, the transit of Mercury over the disc of the sun will be visible from afternoon. This is happening after a gap of about ten years.
To reachout to the interested public, The Public Outreach and Education Committee of the Astronomical Society of India has created resources for them which are available on its website (http://bit.ly/tom-india). Infact, many astronomy clubs across the country are organising public viewing of the transit through their telescopes at various locations. One can visit the website and find out the nearest place to view the rare event, said Samir Dhurde from Inter-University Center for Astronomy & Astrophysics (IUCAA).
The transit of Mercury is a phenomenon in which the planet will be seen as a small black dot travelling from one end of the solar disc to the other. This phenomenon is seen when mercury passes between the sun and the earth and it happens only when the three are lined up.
Mercury appears as a dot on the solar disc because its angular size is very small compared to that of the sun as seen from earth.
The transit of Mercury is relatively a rare phenomenon, occurs 13 or 14 times in a century, mostly in the months of May and November.
The ASI is the professional body of all astronomers in the country. The Public Outreach and Education
Committee was set up by it to promote awareness and understanding of astronomy in India, said Dr N Rathnasree from Delhi-based Nehru Planetarium.