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Transit of Mercury Franklin Institute

When:
Monday, November 11, 2019, 7:36 AM until 1:03 PM
Where:
Franklin Institute
Franklin Institute Calendar of Events
 222 North 20th Street
Philadelphia, PA  19103

215.448.1200
Additional Info:
Category:
Non-DVAA Event
Registration is not Required
Payment In Full In Advance Only
On Monday, November 11, 2019, the planet Mercury will trek across the disk of the Sun beginning at 7:36 am EST. This extraordinary astronomical event will be visible through telescopes using proper solar filtration and other methods of solar viewing in the Eastern United States (including Philadelphia) and Canada, South America, Central America, The Caribbean and parts of Western Europe and West Africa. https://go.nasa.gov/2BFsISP

Planetary transits are extraordinarily rare. There are only 13 transits per century and only transits of Mercury and Venus can be viewed from Earth. The last transit of Mercury occurred on May 9, 2016. The next transit of Mercury after this one in 2019 will takes place on November 13, 2032. The times specified are those for Philadelphia. For specific times for your location and to find out whether this transit can be viewed from your location, check out this site: http://bit.ly/2BFAn3v

Stages and times of the transit are outlined below. All times are local time (EST) for Philadelphia.

Time Phase Event Direction Altitude
7:36 amMon, Nov 11 Partial Transit begins  Mercury touches the Sun's edge.
Sun close to horizon, so make sure you have free sight to East-southeast.		 Map direction East-southeast121°
8.7°
7:37 amMon, Nov 11 Full Transit begins Mercury is fully within the Sun's edge. Watch out for the black drop effect, an optical illusion seemingly connecting Mercury's disc to the Sun's edge.
Sun close to horizon, so make sure you have free sight to East-southeast.		 Map direction East-southeast121°
9.0°
10:20 amMon, Nov 11 Nearest Sun's center  Mercury is closest to the center of the Sun as seen from Philadelphia. Map direction South-southeast156°
29.3°
1:02 pmMon, Nov 11 Full Transit ends  Mercury is starting to leave the Sun's edge. The black drop effect may again be visible. Map direction South-southwest201°
29.8°
1:04 pmMon, Nov 11 Partial Transit ends  Mercury leaves the Sun's edge and concludes the transit. Map direction South-southwest201°
29.7°