CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) Mercury began a relatively rare move across the sun on Monday, May 9.
The solar-planetary ballet got underway on the east coast with the smallest planet appearing as a tiny black dot on the face of the sun. The transit lasted for about 7 1/2 hours. The last time it happened was 2006. It will happen again three years from now, but then not until 2032. NASA said the event occurs only about 13 times a century.
The entirety of Mercury’s journey was viewable to the eastern U.S. and Canada, as well as most of western Europe and South America.
To catch a glimpse, viewers needed binoculars or telescopes with protective solar filters. Mercury’s journey also was transmitted via a livestream on NASA’s website .
