How to Observe the Passage of Mercury Through the Sun This Morning
Last week we wrote about one way to look at your problems, comparing them to the size of entire planets and galaxies.
If you want to feel even more insignificant, from 7:35 am ET today and for about five and a half hours, Mercury will cross the face of the sun; the transit of Mercury, as it is called, occurs only 13 times a century and will not happen again until 2032 (and for US residents, you will not be able to see it in person until 2049).
If you want to watch it live this should be taken for granted, but don’t look at the sun or expect to see transit. (This is an easy way to seriously injure your eyes.) According to NASA , if you have the proper magnification and solar filters, you can probably capture the entire flight duration, but only if you are in Western Europe, in the south of the country. America and eastern North America.
If, on the other hand, you don’t have the right technology, Slooh is currently streaming the entire event live with commentary from broadcast service experts. If you look, the transit is a lot like a tiny black dot crossing a giant egg, which will only make you and your Monday morning troubles a little less onerous.