On Monday, the Arab world will witness a rare astronomical event that will not be repeated until after 13 years, where Mercury will cross in front of the sun disk and can be seen from the center and west of the world.
This phenomenon is called astronomical transit. While this phenomenon can not be seen with the naked eye, it can be seen with small telescopes and it is very necessary to use a special solar filter because looking directly at the sun may lead to permanent loss of vision.
Mohammed Shaukat Odeh, Director of the International Astronomy Center, said the crossing starts at 12:35 am GMT and will reach its peak at 03:20 pm GMT and will end at 06:04 pm GMT.
"The planet Mercury is a disk and not a point, so the disk of the planet Mercury in this transit needs a minute and 41 seconds to enter or come out of the sun in full.
The transit occurs only for Venus and Mercury. The transit occurs when the planet passes between the Earth and the Sun and is at the same level as Earth's orbit around the sun. However, astronomers are advised to take part in a public observation set up by astronomical associations to the public in public.
Approximately, the transit starts and ends in different countries of the world at the same time. Arab countries in Asia, as well as Egypt and Sudan before the crossing reached its peak, and therefore the Arab countries in the West are best to monitor this phenomenon astronomical rare.
The last transit of Mercury was on May 9, 2016 and will be next, God willing, on November 13, 2032 and generally Mercury transits 13 times in the century.
On this occasion, the International Astronomy Center will organize a general observation of the event from Abu Dhabi city from Al-Kasir area near the Marina Center, starting from 4:00 pm until sunset. agency.