It’s been a decade since the planet Mercury passed in front of the Sun as seen from Earth. These transits happen about 13 times a century and November 8, 2006 was the last time it happened. I took the image below with a 90 mm Meade ETX telescope. Mercury is the small dot. The larger dot to the right is a giant sunspot.  You can see more of my transit images on my website.

This year on May 9, 2016 Mercury will once again slowly glide across the face of the Sun and it’ll make for a great observing opportunity for those in the U.S.A.  The transit will have already begun (6:12 a.m. CDT) for those in western parts of North America.  So when the Sun rises on May 9, 2016 at 6:34 a.m. CDT Mercury will already be working its way across the Sun. The greatest transit time for the DFW area will come around 9:58 a.m. CDT. Greatest transit is the instant when Mercury passes closest to the Sun’s center.  Mercury should begin to move off the face of the Sun at about 1:38 p.m. CDT.

If you plan on viewing the transit you’ll need a telescope or a friend with a telescope using a solar filter approved for visual observing (very important) and working at a magnification of 50x to 100x. This is necessary for a couple of reasons. Without a proper solar filter you will destroy your vision looking at the Sun and since Mercury is so small you’ll need the suggested magnification in order to see the planet. If you are viewing from the DFW area or points west you will want to have a good unobstructed view of the eastern horizon in order to see the sun and the transit in progress when the sun rises.

Mark your calendar if you haven’t already and get ready to catch the speedy planet as it transits the Sun in 2016

Go here for more details and diagrams on Mercury Transit 2016