View rare transit of Mercury on May 9
Wayne State University's Department of Physics and Astronomy will hold a free, public viewing of Mercury's transit across the sun from 9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. on Monday, May 9. In case of cloudy weather, a live feed of the transit will be broadcast in Wayne State's Planetarium.
During this event, known as a planetary transit, Mercury will appear as a small black dot silhouetted on the bright disk of the sun. The full transit will take several hours, starting at around 7:15 am and continuing to about 2:30pm.
The Department of Physics and Astronomy will set up solar telescopes on the south side of Old Main to allow anyone with interest to safely view the transit. Astronomy faculty and students will be on hand to answer questions.
The last transit of Mercury took place in 2006, and the next one won't happen until 2019.
Read more about the transit of Mercury at eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/transit.