Mercury will pass in front of Sun in rare space event next week – and you can see it with binoculars
MERCURY will transit across the Sun next week for the last time until 2032.
If you want to watch this astronomy phenomenon all you'll need is some modified binoculars and the right location.
Mercury's transit event will occur on November 11.
It will take around five hours, 28 minutes and 27 seconds so if you're on the right continent you should have time to see it.
Unfortunately, budding astronomers in Australia and eastern/central Asia won't be able to witness it.
South America and eastern North America will get to see the transit entirely, Africa, Europe and the Middle East will see it towards sunset and western North America will get a glimpse at sunrise.
Luckily clear skies aren't a necessity for the event as the Sun should guarantee a good backdrop.
On average, mercury transits the Sun once per decade although it did last transit in 2016.
Mercury facts
Here's what you need to know...
- Mercury is the smallest planet
- Mercury has been known to humanity since ancient times and it is not known who discovered it
- It has no moons or rings
- It is the closest planet to the Sun
- It is the second hottest planet after Venus despite being closer to the Sun
- Mercury has more craters than any other planet
In other space news, Mercury is in retrograde and astrologers think the spooky ‘space illusion’ could ruin your life.
Nasa has revealed plans for probes that will travel 92billion miles from Earth – that's seven times further than ever before.
And, here's everything you need to know if you want to watch the Taurid Meteor Shower.
Are you an avid stargazer? Let us know in the comments...
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