During the day on May 9, the planet Mercury will pass across the face of the sun. The planet will be visible in telescopes properly equipped for solar observing as a small black dot moving across the sun. 

The transit will begin at 7:12 AM ET and last until 2:42 PM. Transits of Mercury are not as rare as Venus, but they are infrequent; the last was in 2006 and the next will occur in November, 2019.  Virginia will be one of the places in a limited part of the Earth that will be able to view the entire transit.

Observatory Park at The Turner Farm in Great Falls will be open for the transit from 7 am to 3 pm. We will have telescopes with solar filters to observe the sun and the transit. This is sponsored by the Analemma Society.

Please stop by to observe part of the transit and any visible sunspots.