Mercury to pass in front of sun on Monday for last transit until 2032, but stargazers in China out of luck
- Unfortunately, most of Australia, the Maritime Continent, Southeast Asia, much of China and the Koreas will miss out on the event
Mercury is set to make a transit across the sun on Monday morning for the last time until 2032. A pinprick of darkness will puncture a small hole in the sunlight as the planet traverses the solar disk during a 5.5-hour stretch, starting at 7.35am Eastern time. And while you will not be able see it without protective glasses and heavy-duty telescope equipment, there are still plenty of ways to enjoy the show.
What’s a transit?
Remember the famous solar eclipse of August 21, 2017? You probably donned a pair of ISO-certified, polycarbonate glasses and stared up at the sky in wonder. That happened because the moon briefly blocked the sun. In a narrow path of totality, day turned to night as the sunlight was extinguished.
This time around, it will be Mercury standing in front of the sun. Mercury is actually a little bigger than the moon – it is about 874 miles larger in diameter. But Mercury is much farther from Earth. That is what makes it look so tiny from Earth.
As such, even though Mercury will pass in front of the sun, it will not be able to block much sunlight. That is what distinguishes a transit from an eclipse. During a transit, the interceding body is not sufficiently large to cover whatever it’s moving in front of.
