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Mercury
May 2003
After greatest elongation in April, the planet will move toward inferior conjunction in May. Normally Mercury would pass either above or below the Sun but in May it will transit the disk, and observers across Australia will witness the first half as the event finishes after sunset..
WARNING:
Never look directly at the Sun with your eyes or with an instrument without
a suitable full aperture filter
Full aperture solar
filters are recommended for observing, or the Suns image can be projected
onto a white card from a telescope or binoculars. It is very important
that you ensure that the finder scope is covered and that no one attempts
to use the instrument to view the Sun without a filter.
Click on the image to view a 260k animated gif showing the event as viewed from Brisbane.
Brisbane local times for the transit are as follows: First Contact or exterior ingress (the planet first touches the limb of the Sun) occurs at 3:14 pm, Second Contact or interior ingress (the planet is fully onto the disk of the Sun) occurs at 3:19 pm. The transit ends around 8:30 pm and therefore will not be visible from the eastern Australia. The moment of First Contact is largely unobservable unless a Hydrogen-alpha filter is used, and the planet is outlined by a prominence.
Later, on the 29th of May, this planet can be seen near Venus and the Moon; all are within 3 degrees of each other in the morning twilight.
All times quoted are Australian Eastern Standard Time, views are from Brisbane.