On Monday, Mercury transited across the Sun for the first time since 2016. The Athens-Clarke County Library invited the public to view this historic celestial event with Dr. Maurice Snook.
Special telescopes were set up outside the library to allow safe viewing of the passage of Mercury across the Sun, an extremely rare occurrence.
To viewers at the Athens-Clarke County Library, Mercury appeared as a small black dot crossing the Sun’s face as the planet's diameter is only 1/194th that of the Sun. Athens is located in one of the few zones in the world in which the entire five-hour transit was visible.
The transit of Mercury happens only 13 or 14 times each century. Its next transit will occur in 2032.