Keeping an Eye on Mercury

Look outside after sunset.  Face west and see if you can catch a glimpse of cute and quick Mercury!  It will be low in the sky with a beautiful crescent Moon above it.  On May 9, Mercury will pass directly in front of the Sun, called a transit.  In Hawaii, the transit will be in progress at SUNRISE.

Such a quick moving planet, the ancient people depicted Mercury as the messenger god with winged shoes and a winged helmet!

Also, tonight’s Moon will display “Earth Shine”……the dimly lit part of the Moon revealing the entire orb.  This is caused by sunshine bouncing off Earth onto the Moon.

A beautiful sight!  Go see it tonight!