The next Mercury transit is fast approaching. Mercury will transit (or pass in front of the Sun) as seen from Earth on Monday, November 11, 2019. The last time this happened was three years ago in 2016. If you miss it in 2019 you’ll have to wait 13 years until the next transit in 2032.

Mercury is very small compared to the Sun. The small speck to the right of center in the image above is Mercury. The other speck to the left is a sunspot. You could line up 194 Mercuries across the face of the Sun. Since it’s small you will need a telescope and an approved solar filter in order to view this event. Warning: NEVER look at the Sun without proper eye protection or you will permanently damage your eyes. NEVER look through a telescope at the Sun unless you are certain you have a “visual grade solar filter” on the telescope.