View the Transit of Mercury from York College
Wednesday, Nov 8, 2006, 2-4pm
The York College Observatory invites the public to share in witnessing a
special celestial event: a transit
of Mercury! During the afternoon on Wednesday, Nov 8,
2006, Mercury will cross the face
of the Sun. The closest planet to the Sun will appear as a tiny
dot silhouetted on the Sun's disk. This happened
last only in 2003, but won't be seen again for another
decade. Come share this spectacular experience with other
interested members of the York College community and learn about the
interplay of the planets from resident astronomer, Professor Tim Paglione.
Besides being fun and dramatic, planetary transits are also
instructive in providing the earliest measurements of the distance to
the Sun.
Please join us after 2pm for this free event open to the
entire community.
Mercury will appear over the Sun around 2:15pm and will
continue to traverse the solar disk as the Sun sets just before
5pm. We will congregate by the arch on 160th St. near the
entrance to the Academic Core
Building on the York
College campus between Archer and Liberty
Aves. In case of poor weather, the event will be canceled
(though the transit of course will still occur!)
For more
information, please call 718-262-2082.
NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN!!
Weather links:
Transit links:
Mercury & Sun links:
