Mercury Transit on May 7, 2003

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We are online with you during the entire event

DO NOT FORGET THAT IT IS DANGEROUS TO OBSERVE THE SUN WITHOUT SPECIAL PROTECTION! The only completely safe way is to project an image of the sun on a white surface (for instance, a piece of paper or cardboard).

Latest Information (May 7, 07:00 hrs CEST -- 05:00 hrs UT)

The Sun is now nearly 11° above the horizon at the ESO HQ in Garching and the observing conditions are excellent. The transit will start about 13 min from now, when the Sun is 13° above the horizon. Mercury is just now 45 arcseconds from the solar limb. First ESO photos are expected 5 min from now

LASCO image of Mercury

Image of the Sun taken by SOHO early this morning (00:54 UT)

(c) LASCO/SOHO/NASA/ESA


Recent Images

Here is a collection of recent images obtained in different places.


SOHO MDI image taken on May 6 at 12:53.(c) NASA/ESA/SOHO

SOHO EIT image taken on May 6, 2003 at 14:27. (c) NASA/ESA/SOHO

Sun in white light taken with the instrument of the Astronomical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic on May 6, 6:14.

Image taken by the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope ( http://www.solarphysics.kva.se/)