Stargazers will be able to spot Mercury as it glides across the Sun disk Wednesday. The rare space event will begin at 11.12 a.m. PST and last about 5 hours, astronomers said.
The solar system's smallest planet Mercury, which is also the closest to the Sun, is scheduled to pass across the face of the Sun this week. The transit will be visible only from certain places on Earth. These include western parts of the US, east coast of Australia, eastern Asia, the Pacific Islands, and New Zealand.
People living in other parts of the world will be able to see it from November 13 through December 17, but only before sunrise. If waking up so early is a problem, you could catch it again on December 25 when you will be able to see it in the morning sky for the last time, after which you would have to wait until 2016.
People in other parts of the world or those who do not want to risk damage to their eyes can watch the phenomenon on the Internet. Web sites dedicated to the event will provide live Webcast and other details of the transit. One such site is www.exploratorium.edu/transit/
Persons interested in watching the event are advised the use of small telescopes that are specially equipped with solar filters. Looking directly at the Sun can cause permanent damage to the eye and is therefore to be avoided, experts say. The planet Mercury can be seen as a tiny spot moving slowly across the Sun's face. Mercury is roughly 1/200 the diameter of the Sun, so it will appear as a dot traveling southeast to west of the Sun's disk.
The phenomenon happens 13 times each century. The last time the little planet made the passage was on May 7, 2003 and will do so again on May 9, 2016.
