Rare Transit of Mercury

Event Description

Observe a rare celestial treat as tiny, speedy Mercury moves directly between the Earth and the Sun. Over the course of six hours, the swift planet will appear to be a black dot, racing across the surface of our home star at 106,000 miles per hour. Weather permitting, a special solar telescope will be in the MOAS courtyard for safe viewing throughout the event. 

In the Lohman Planetarium, a live stream will accompany the entire transit period, as well as a special live show at 11:00 a.m. 

Our door and planetarium portions of this event are free to the public. To enjoy the rest of MOAS after the show, regular admission must then be purchased. 

Schedule

8:00am-1:30pm: Solar telescopes in the MOAS courtyard. 

8:00am-11:00am: Live stream of the Mercury transit in the Lohman Planetarium. 

11:00am-11:30am: Live show in the Planetarium by MOAS Curator of Astronomy, Seth Mayo.

11:30am-1:00pm: Live stream of the Mercury transit in the Lohman Planetarium.