This transit of Mercury will be well underway when the Sun rises at 7:00AM on November 11th. Observers in our location on the west coast of Canada will need to get up early and setup in the dark or pre-dawn, so familiarize yourself with your chosen observing location a few days before this event!
2019 Mercury Transit – gallery of photos and sketches from RASC Victoria Centre members.
Transit timing for Victoria, BC, Canada – Nov 11, 2019 – Pacific Standard Time (PST) – 2 hours & 45 minutes long
- First contact (ingress, exterior): sun below horizon
- Second contact (ingress, interior): sun below horizon
- Sunrise – 7:00AM in the SE
- Greatest transit: 7:20:26 AM PST
- Third contact (egress, interior): 10:03:02 AM PST – Sun Altitude 19°
- Fourth contact (egress, exterior): 10:04:43 AM PST
Observing
You should try out any gear you propose to use before Nov 11th. Make sure you have proper solar eclipse filters for any binoculars, camera lenses and telescopes you will be using. Take test photos of the Sun well before this event, so you know your photo gear will work as expected.
Unlike a total solar eclipse, there is no safe time to take off your solar filters when observing a planetary transit across the Sun. Solar filters must be used the whole time you are looking at the Sun for this event!
Choose a location that has a clear view to the east and southeast, since the transit will be in progress as the Sun rises. Being located on a hill will be an advantage for observing the Sun (and transit) sooner.
Mercury is too small to see without using some magnification, so at a minimum, use solar filters on binoculars or a small telescope to observe with. Mercury will be impossible or extremely difficult to see with unaided eyes or pinhole projectors.
Finally, relax and enjoy this event. Sit back in a reclining chair, have your solar glasses and filtered binoculars or telescope handy, and enjoy!
Resources
- Observer’s Handbook 2019 – pages 139-147 – viewing tips, timing, weather – Royal Astronomical Society of Canada
- 2019 Mercury Transit – info pamphlet from Skynews magazine
- 2019 Mercury Transit – EclipseWise – Fred Espenak
- 2019 Mercury Transit – Time & Date
- 2019 Mercury Transit – Sky & Telescope magazine
- All the Mercury transits on Wikipedia
- Eye Safety During Solar Eclipses – applies to Mercury transits!
- 2019 Mercury Transit live view – NASA live video feed early on Nov 11th
- 2006 Mercury Transit – observing reports & photos by RASC Victoria Centre members (from our archives)
- 2016 Mercury Transit photos – observing reports & photos by RASC Victoria Centre members
