KELSEYVILLE >> On Monday morning, May 9, Lake County astronomy fans have a chance to observe a transit of planet Mercury across the solar disk at Taylor Observatory.
As with Venus transits, these events occur in pairs. Mercury’s next transit will be on November 11, 2019. But the next pair of Mercury transit don’t occur until November 2032 and 2039.
In celebration of this semi-rare event Taylor observatory will be open to visitors on Monday morning, weather permitting, between 7:30 and 11 a.m. with telescopes specially equipped to observe transit safely. You can consult our Facebook page at “Friends of Taylor” for updates. There is no charge for admission.
Observatory staff members caution residents never to look directly at the sun without special protection. Sunglasses are not sufficiently protective under any circumstances. The Mercury transit in fact cannot be seen without telescopes that are protected by light-limiting filters. Special glasses that you may have used for the Venus transit in 2010 will not be useful because of the much smaller size of Mercury.
The Mercury transit absolutely requires use of a protected telescope.
Should skies be cloudy, an alternative is to watch the Mercury transit live on the web. Several web sites provide the service. For questions about the Mercury transit, call one of the Friends of Taylor staff at (415) 209-3084 or (262) 237-0152.
