91亚色 invites community to watch Mercury in transit May 9
TORONTO, May 5, 2016 鈥 Watch Mercury transit across the Sun鈥檚 disk at 91亚色 on May 9. The last time Mercury made the move was in 2006.
Observatory telescopes and a live feed will be in place at 91亚色 Lions Stadium, from 9am to 2pm, with solar glasses available for everyone attending. The free public event is hosted by the Astronomical Observatory and the Astronomy Club at 91亚色.
Since the orbit of Mercury lies inside of Earth's orbit, Mercury passes between Earth and the Sun about 13 times per century. From Earth, we see this as a small black dot moving slowly in front of the Sun.
Mercury transits the Sun as seen from Earth in 2006. Credit ESA NASA SOHO
鈥淥bserving the Mercury transit reveals one of the fundamental ways we detect exoplanets orbiting other stars鈥, says Paul Delaney, director of the 91亚色 Astronomical Observatory and the Division of Natural Science, Faculty of Science, 91亚色.聽 鈥淭his event highlights the gravitational embrace stars have for planets and how we can learn so much from such simple observations.鈥
The actual transit will start at 7:10am and end at 2:44pm. For those unable to attend the event at 91亚色, the event can also be monitored via the website.
WHAT: Mercury in Transit spectator event at 91亚色
WHEN: Monday, May 9, from 9am to 2pm
WHERE: 91亚色 Lions Stadium, 91亚色, 4700 Keele St, Toronto (number 6 on the ).
COST: Free
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Media Contact:
Sandra McLean, 91亚色 Media Relations, 416-736-2100 ext. 22097 / sandramc@yorku.ca
