Anyone going to view the transit of Mercury next week?

[Cunctator]

The whole transit will be visible (http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/OH/image1/TM2006Nov08-Fig2.GIF) from eastern Australia on Thursday morning (9 November).

I've just booked at the observatory for a package including a talk from the chief astronomer, the viewing and a breakfast in the gardens. Not bad for $22!

[araminty]

Naw. I was disillusioned by that whole transit of Venus thing a few years back. I'm betting the much smaller Mercury will be make for less exciting viewing.

Make sure you have a tough question for the chief astronomer dude; I met him at the Interntional Planetarium Society conference a few months back, and he conforms to ALL the stereotypes. Hoo.

Have fun!

[Freddy the Pig]

The pickings for these November transits are usually pretty slim up here in the North. I see that this transit will be visible in the afternoon from the US, but where I live it's cloudy so often in November that the odds are against seeing anything. Besides which I have to work . . .

I see there's a May transit coming up in 2016; if I ever see one, that will probably be it. The Venus transit in 2004 was way cool--you could see it through Mylar-filtered binoculars.

[Cunctator]

It was all a bit of a fizzer here. It's been overcast all morning.

[Freddy the Pig]

Bummer--against all odds, it was a beautiful, clear day here. But since I hadn't made arrangements to take off work and find someone with a telescope, there was nothing I could do.

I'll definitely catch the one in 2016. That's what I like about astronomy--you have to plan on long time scales!

[SiouxChief]

There are some downloadable timelapse movies of the transit here (http://www.astroday.net/MercTransit06.html).

I have one thing to say. Dayyum that sun is big compared to mercury. Who knew? :p