On Monday, November 11, 2019 a fabulous celestial event will be happening for much of the world. Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, will pass in between the Sun and Earth, visibly crossing the surface of the Sun from our view point. This is a stunning rare event that will not happen over our location again until May 7, 2049.

Frosty Drew Observatory will be open all day long in celebration of this spectacular event. Starting at 7:00 a.m. we will have telescopes on the Frosty Drew campus tracking Mercury and the Sun. Numerous screens and viewing stations will be setup across the campus showcasing live views of Mercury transiting the Sun. We will continue to showcase the event until 1:30 p.m., about 25 minutes after the transit completes.

The transit will play out over Frosty Drew Observatory, and largely New England, as follows:

Starting at 7:39 am, first contact will occur. This is when Mercury will make its first appearance on the western edge of the Sun.
At 7:41 am, second contact will occur. This is when the entire disk of Mercury has entered the view of the solar disk. This is the first opportunity to catch a view of the “black drop effect”
At 10:23 am, greatest transit will occur. This is when Mercury will be at the center-most point of the Sun for the transit.
At 1:06 pm, third contact will occur. At this time, Mercury will start to depart the eastern side of the solar disk. This is the second opportunity to catch the “black drop effect”.
At 1:07 pm, forth contact will occur. At this time, Mercury will exit the solar disk, effectively ending the transit event.

This is certainly not an event to miss! Transits like this are quite rare with the last transit happening on May, 9, 2016, and the next occurrence, over our location, in 2049 followed by 2062. So grab your family and friends and head out for a fantastic day in Ninigret Park, home to Frosty Drew Observatory, and celebrate this awesome happening and life enriching experience with all of us at Frosty Drew and the rest of planet Earth. Frosty Drew Observatory presents: The Transit of Mercury.