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29 March 2024

Mercury passes Sun; where to see in Dubai

Mercury will appear as a black dot on the surface of the sun (File)

Published
By Bindu Rai

A rare celestial event - a first in 10 years - will occur today as the planet Mercury will visibly make its journey across the face of the Sun.

Weather permitting, most of the world will be able to witness this transit, which last occurred in 2006; miss this and you will have to wait until 2019 for the next journey.

Incidentally, Venus is the only other planet that earthlings are able to witness in a similar transitional phase; it last crossed the sun's face in 2012 and won't pass again until 2117.

The Dubai Astronomy Group has stated according to UAE time, Mercury's transit will start at 3.12pm and will continue for nearly seven hours, but the sun will set here while the transit in its prime.

Star gazers who are keen to witness this celestial event can head down to Mushrif Park, where DAG is hosting an observation event with an armada of telescopes and gears to capture and broadcast the event live worldwide.

The programme will start from 2pm until sunset.

According to experts, folks in East Asia, Japan, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand won't be able to witness the event. And if you too find yourself stuck at work and unable to reach Mushrif Park on time, then don't think you will be shut out of this celestial wonder.

You can still catch the transit online, across several different webcasts with Nasa streaming a live programme on Nasa TV and the agency’s Facebook page.

An informal roundtable will also be hosted, during which experts representing planetary, heliophysics and astrophysics will discuss the science behind the Mercury transit.

Viewers can ask questions via Facebook and Twitter using #AskNASA.

Due to its diminutive size, NASA experts have stated viewing this event safely requires a telescope or high-powered binoculars fitted with solar filters made of specially-coated glass or Mylar.

What happens with Mercury in transit?

Mercury will appear as a small black dot as it crosses the edge of the Sun and into view at 3.12pm UAE time.

The planet will make a leisurely journey across the face of the sun, reaching mid-point at approximately 6.47pm.

Mercury transits between the sun and Earth about 13 times every century.