Mercury Set To Pass In Front Of The Sun On Monday

By BEA KARNES (Patch Staff)

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.”

Protect your eyes!

In the Tampa Bay area, Mercury will look like a small black dot as it crosses the sun and into view around 7:12 a.m.

"The planet will make a leisurely journey across the face of the sun, reaching mid-point at approximately 10:47 a.m., and exiting the golden disk at 2:42 p.m.," NASA explained on its website. "The entire 7.5-hour path across the sun will be visible across the Eastern United States – with magnification and proper solar filters."

Weather in the Tampa Bay area is expected to cooperate for the celestial event. Forecasters at the National Weather Service are anticipating sunny conditions and a high in the mid- to upper-80s.

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

To find out more about the Transit of Mercury, visit NASA online.

--Photo via NASA