Transit of Mercury in Connecticut November 8th 2006

The rare astronomical sight of Mercury inching it's way across the surface of the sun takes place Wednesday afternoon in North America.

Mercury is so tiny — 1/194th the size of the sun — and looking at the sun is so dangerous to the eyes that viewing must be done with a properly outfitted telescope or online telescope cameras, experts say.

Mercury's five-hour trek starts at 2:12 p.m. EST. People in Western time zones of the United States should be able to see the entire trip. The last "transit of Mercury," as it's called, was in 2003. These events occur about 13 times a century, with the next one happening in 2016, according to NASA.

Space.com advises that the transit should be watched only with an appropriate solar filter - a solar filter that is sold by a reputable outlet of astronomical equipment. So, with that in mind, why not join other space-minded individuals, and enjoy the viewing through a safe telescope:

Where to view the transit of Mercury in Connecticut:

The Children's Museum of Connecticut
Watch as Mercury crosses the face of the sun through our specially filtered telescopes. Enjoy children's crafts and activities, as well as original programming in the Gengras Planetarium.
Wed., Nov. 8, 2006, 1:30-5:00 pm
The Children's Museum of Connecticut
950 Trout Brook Drive, West Hartford, CT 06119
Phone: 860-231-2824
http://www.thechildrensmuseumct.org/


Western Connecticut State University
Viewing the rare TRANSIT OF MERCURY across the Sun. The public is invited to view it (weather permitting) from the Midtown Observatory atop the new Science Building on the WCSU Midtown campus, from 2 p.m. until sunset.
Western Connecticut State University
181 White Street, Danbury, Connecticut 06810
Phone: 203-837-8672
http://www.wcsu.edu/starwatch/


Astronomical Society of New Haven
http://asnh.org/index.php



Elsewhere On the Net:

Time zone listings for Mercury transit:
http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/OH/LC/Tran06LC2.html

The path Mercury will take across the sun:
http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/OH/tran/TM2006sun.GIF

NASA on the transit:
http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/OH/transit06.html

Transit of Mercury from a Hawaiian summit:
http://astroday.net/Merctransit06.html

Space.com Viewer's Guide: Watch Mercury Cross the Sun
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/061103_night_sky.html