Watch Mercury Pass in Front of the Sun This Monday (NASA Preview Video)

The Transit of Mercury is a rare astrological event that only happens about 13 times a century. The last time was in 2006 and the next time will be in 2019.

Simply put, Mercury will cross in front of the sun from our earthly vantage point.

Jane Houston Jones of NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab said in a posting, “You'll need to view the sun and Mercury through a solar filter when looking through a telescope or when projecting the image of the solar disk onto a safe surface. Look a little south of the sun's Equator.”

In California’s Pacific time zone, the transit will begin before sunrise and finish around 11:45 a.m., with the midpoint across the sun around 8 a.m.

Protect your eyes!

If you miss Monday’s event, the next Mercury transit will be Nov. 11, 2019.

Check out NASA’s video on the Transit of Mercury, published this morning.

--Photo via NASA