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Transit of Mercury Temple University Main Campus

When:
Monday, November 11, 2019, 7:36 AM until 1:03 PM
Where:
Temple Main Campus
Charles Library
1801 North Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA  19122
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

Temple Physics Department is planning to host a half-day event at the new Charles Library on the Main Campus.  We have one Coronado H-alpha telescope and two or three more scopes with white light filters, and we're planning various displays and demonstrations.  

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°