May 9th is a great opportunity to experience a rare and exceptionally long lasting Mercury transit. For a period of 7.5 hours we will experience Mercury passing the solar disk as a small black dot and we have to wait 125 years to experience a transit of longer duration. Every century there are on average 13 Mercury transits, and since Mercury and Venus are the only planets between the Earth and the Sun, they are also the only planets able to cause a transit seen from our site in the Solar system. 

Live webcast of the Mercury transit

Transit of Mercury 8th November 2006.
Photo: Brocken Inaglory/Wikipedia

Last time a Mercury-transit could be experienced from Earth was November 8th 2006. After the coming transit on May 9th, it will be three years until next time we will be able to see this rare phenomenon, but we have to wait till 2141 to experience a transit of longer duration. Below, you can read more about the transit and also how we in the future will be able to experience even more spectacular transits from other locations in our Solar system.

The transit starts at 11.12 UTC. At 14.57 UTC, Mercury will be closest to the center of the Sun before it leaves the solar disk at 18.42 and the transit ends. The duration will be as long as 7 hours and 30 minutes, which makes it the longest lasting Mercury transit seen from Earth since 1970. A transit of the same duration as the one on May 9th will occur in 2095, but we have to wait till 2141 to see a more prolonged transit.

In Norway the transit will be visible from the whole country, but as it ends, the Sun will only be 4-8 grader above the horizon, lowest altitude in eastern locations. For this reason, it’s important with a clear view in a northwesterly direction to catch the very last stage.

This is how it will appear when Mercury crosses the solar disk. (5 MB, duration 11 seconds).
More animations at the bottom of this page! Animation: Sannes & Ødegaard

MORE INFORMATION

	The transit of Mercury May 9th 2016: How to observe Never look at the Sun without sufficient protection! Unlike Venus, Mercury is too small to be able to spot with eclipse glasses, and these glasses must not be used in combination with binoculars – the glasses would simply melt! Below is described how you can watch this rare phenomenon in a safe way Read moree.
	The first Mercury-transit to be observed The first person ever to observe a transit of Mercury was Pierre Gassendi on November 7th 1631, despite the fact that Johannes Kepler had predicted both a Mercury- and a Venus-transit a while before. Read more
	The first image of a Mercury-transit taken from another planet! June 4th 2014 the Mars rover Curiosity observed Mercury crossing the solar disk. This is the first time in history that a planet transit has been observed from a celestial object outside Earth.  Les mer.
	The black drop effect The black drop effect is an optical phenomenon which is visible during planet transits. read more.

ANIMATIONS:

Quicktime animation showing how the transit will appear (5 MB, duration 11 seconds). Animation: Sannes & Ødegaard

Quicktime animation showing how the transit will appear (25 MB, duration 1 min 53 seconds). Animation: Sannes & Ødegaard

Animations with less zooming:

Quicktime animation showing how the transit will appear (12 MB, duration 1 min 56 seconds). Animation: Sannes & Ødegaard

Quicktime animation showing how the transit will appear (2,6 MB, duration 11 seconds). Animation: Sannes & Ødegaard

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MORE INFORMATION

NASAs catalogue of Mercury transits

Wikipedia: Transit of Mercury