Transit of Mercury

A late afternoon transit of Mercury put on a good show in clear weather in southern California. Click on the image to view a time-lapse video created by assembling a sequence of shots on film (Fuji Velvia 50) taken with an Astrophysics 155EDF refractor with full-aperture Thousand Oaks filter. Mercury is the tiny dot moving against the sun starting in the 7 o'clock position and moving diagonally towards the 3 o'clock position. Click on the YouTube logo and change the quality to 1080p for a better view if you have a large screen and the bandwidth to do so. Note that the sun changes color (and shape) near the end of the transit as it drops near the horizon.