Astronomy buffs are in luck today: Mercury will pass across the sun, a celestial event that won’t be visible for another 30 years. The Transit of Mercury occurs when the planet comes between the earth and the sun, and appears as a tiny black dot moving across the Sun. 2Paragraphs will be observing the event from Dublin, beginning around 1:00 p.m Irish time (8:00 a.m EST). Astronomy Ireland will host special viewing events this afternoon, and amazingly, the weather is going to cooperate (the country experienced “sweltering” temperatures over the weekend, reaching almost 72 degrees in some places. Stop laughing).
A word of warning: staring directly at the sun is extremely dangerous and could permanently damage your sight. The simplest and safest method to observe the Transit of Mercury is to project the sun’s image through a pinhole on to a piece of paper or card. If you’re stuck in traffic or at work and cannot step outside to observe the Transit, you can view it here.
