Shillong, May 6: The OSD incharge of Shillong Science Centre has informed that on 9th May, 2016, Mercury will transit the Sun for the first time since 2006. The transit or passage of a planet across the face of the Sun is a relatively rare occurrence. As seen from Earth, only transits of Mercury and Venus are possible. There are approximately 13 transits of Mercury each century.
The event starts at about 4:30 PM and is visible all over India and 1/4th transit will take place at 6:30 PM and mid transit at8:30 PM and the transit ends at 12:32 AM. Within minutes of its start, the planet Mercury will appear as a tiny dot on the Eastern limb of the solar disc and will become identifiable. Watch out for other sunspots too that may be present. In addition, it is obvious that since Mercury is only 1/158 of the Sun’s apparent diameter, a telescope with a magnification of 50x or more is needed to watch this event.
