Science Ed Center to Host Activities for Mercury Transit

Aiken, SC (10/24/2019) — The Ruth Patrick Science Education Center will host several activities during the Mercury transit across the Sun on Nov. 11.

All events are free and open to the public.

"The transit of Mercury is a fairly rare event that occurs only when there is a perfect alignment of the Sun, Earth and Mercury," said Dr. Gary Senn, director of the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center.

The full transit is expected to take approximately 5.5 hours:

• 7: 36 a.m., Partial transit begins, Mercury first contacts the edge of the Sun.
• 7:37 a.m., Full transit begins, Mercury is fully visible within the disk of the Sun.
• 10:20 a.m., Center point, Mercury is at the central point of the transit and closest to the center of the Sun.
• 1:02 p.m., Full transit ends, Mercury contacts the edge of the Sun.
• 1:04 p.m., Partial transit ends, Transit of Mercury ends.

Senn warns that transit viewers should never look directly at the Sun without using equipment designed to do so safely.

"We will have a variety of telescopes available to view the transit safely."

He notes that people were unable to see a transit of Mercury until after telescopes were invented.

Senn says that after the upcoming transit, the next opportunity to view Mercury crossing the Sun will be 13 years later -- on Nov. 13, 2032.

For more information on activities at Ruth Patrick Science Education Center during the Mercury Transit on Nov. 11, go to: https://www.usca.edu/rpsec/events/transit-of-mercury .

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